Does Reform's plan to cut £50bn in welfare spending add up?
Reform UK has proposed a £50bn reduction in welfare spending by 2030, primarily by restricting benefits for foreign nationals and reforming disability payments. BBC Verify notes that the plan is highly ambitious, as it targets 25% of non-pension welfare spending, and analysts have criticized the lack of detailed implementation strategies.
Why it matters
The proposal highlights a significant shift in UK political discourse regarding welfare reform and immigration, sparking debate over the feasibility and social impact of such drastic fiscal changes.
By Ben Chu Policy and analysis correspondent, BBC Verify Published 26 minutes ago Reform UK has set out plans it says will save more than £50bn a year from the welfare bill by 2030 if it gets into government.
The party believes it can deliver much of this by stopping foreign nationals from getting most benefits and also reforming disability payments while protecting the most "severely disabled".
BBC Verify has been breaking down what Reform says it wants to do - and how realistic it is.
The UK government will spend £353bn on welfare benefits this year - just under half of that goes on the state pension, which Reform has said it will not cut.
That leaves £207bn - so cutting £50bn a year like Reform proposes would represent roughly 25% of total remaining welfare spending, which would be extremely ambitious.
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