Reform UK has announced plans to ban foreign nationals from receiving almost all welfare payments, including housing benefit, pension credit, jobseeker's allowance, child benefit, free childcare, and disability benefits. The proposal, set to be formally unveiled by the party's shadow chancellor Robert Jenrick, would also extend to EU citizens and is projected to save approximately £50 billion per year.
Jenrick stated that "forcing British workers to pay for the benefits of foreigners is not just economically illiterate but plain immoral." He added that the British taxpayer cannot afford to subsidize individuals who have not contributed to the system. The party claims to have developed a 50-page plan to achieve these savings.
Under the proposed ban, only a few exceptions would apply, such as war widows' pensions and Armed Forces compensation. Reform UK has previously indicated intentions to ban foreign nationals from claiming Universal Credit. The implementation of such a policy would necessitate renegotiating the UK's Brexit agreement and could potentially jeopardize the rights of British expatriates residing in the EU.
This announcement comes ahead of a speech by Jenrick on Monday, where the party will detail its comprehensive welfare strategy. Reform UK also indicated on Saturday that it would replace the disability payments system, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), if it forms the next government. In the current year, the UK government anticipates spending £322 billion on welfare in Great Britain, which represents 10.6% of the GDP, with slightly over half allocated to pensioners.