Conservative plans unveiled today propose barring foreign nationals from social housing, including revoking existing tenancies for non-European Union citizens and preventing all foreign citizens from obtaining new ones. The party estimates these measures could free up approximately 228,144 homes for British citizens.
Under the proposals, any single individual from outside the EU residing in social housing, with or without children, would have their tenancy terminated. Couples where both partners are non-EU citizens would also be affected. However, couples where at least one partner is a British, Irish, or EU citizen would be permitted to remain.
Conservative shadow housing spokesman Sir James Cleverly stated that the current system prioritizes newcomers over British citizens who pay taxes for social housing. He argued that reallocating homes to those who have waited longer on housing lists is a necessary correction. The party contends this policy would help reduce welfare spending and ensure British citizens are prioritized for housing funded by taxpayers.
Data from the Centre for Policy Studies indicates a rise in non-EU nationals occupying social housing, with their share of new social homes increasing to 11.3 percent last year, up from 10.4 percent in 2023 and 5.8 percent in 2010. An estimated 470,000 non-UK and non-Irish citizens currently live in social housing. In 2025, nearly 12 percent of main householders of social homes were non-UK or Irish nationals, according to the English Housing Survey. Certain local authorities, such as Brent, Leicester, and Manchester, have reported a disproportionately high number of non-EU nationals in social homes.
Reform UK has also advocated for similar policies, with leader Nigel Farage previously stating a ban on foreign nationals in social housing, requiring tenants to find private accommodation within three months or face deportation. Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf criticized the Conservative plans as an attempt to copy their policy while still allowing EU nationals to occupy British social housing.
Rob McNeil, deputy director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, noted that similar proposals have been put forward before. He suggested that the practical impact on British citizens' access to social housing might be minimal if responsibility for housing non-citizens at risk of homelessness shifts to temporary accommodation.
Charities have voiced strong opposition to the plans. Sarah Elliott of Shelter criticized the proposals as divisive and potentially leading to homelessness, arguing that they would not address the core need for more social homes. She highlighted that social tenants pay rent, contributing to the public purse.
A Labour Party spokesman called the Conservative initiative "unserious" and "unworkable," suggesting it is a copied policy from Reform UK. They stated that individuals without indefinite leave to remain are already ineligible for social housing, implying the policy would primarily affect refugees and long-term residents who are not British citizens, including essential workers like NHS staff.