Reform UK Plans Ban on Almost All Welfare for Foreign Nationals
· World · The Independent, BBC News
Reform UK has announced a plan to prohibit foreign nationals from claiming nearly all welfare benefits, including Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and Pension Credit, if the party wins the next general election. The policy would also exclude those with EU settled status and is projected to save the taxpayer about £21 billion over five years. Mukherjee’s Treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick, will detail the scheme in a press conference on Monday and said the UK would ‘no longer subsidise everyone on the planet’. The party has added only a few exemptions, such as war widows and armed‑forces pensions, while asserting long‑time contributors would retain state pensions but lose other benefits. Reform admits the measure may need renegotiation of the post‑Brexit withdrawal agreement protecting social security entitlements. Other major parties have criticised the proposal as cruel and likely to trigger further Brexit negotiations.
Why it matters
The policy would stop foreign residents, including EU settled-status holders, from accessing essential benefits, altering the social security landscape for immigrants and potentially creating legal challenges over existing agreements. UK taxpayers may gain savings, but displaced beneficiaries could face hardship if they lose support for housing, childcare or disability allowances.
Read the original report — The Independent
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