Reform UK benefits ban for foreign nationals would include EU citizens
Reform UK has proposed a policy to ban foreign nationals, including EU citizens with settled status, from accessing most welfare benefits. The party claims this would save billions annually, though critics argue the policy is economically illiterate and targets vulnerable populations.
Why it matters
This proposal represents a significant shift in UK immigration and welfare policy discourse, potentially impacting the rights of millions of residents and future Brexit-related negotiations.
Image source, Anadolu via Getty Images Image caption, Robert Jenrick will make a speech on Reform's welfare plans on Monday
Foreign nationals would be excluded from most benefits under a Reform UK government, the party has said.
The ban, part of a proposed overhaul of Britain's benefits system, would include European Union (EU) nationals with settled status in the UK.
It would require renegotiating the UK's Brexit deal with the EU, potentially meaning that British expatriates living in the EU could lose equivalent rights.
Reform claims the policy would save £21bn a year by its fifth year, but Labour insists the "vast majority" of migrants have no access to benefits and the Conservatives have dismissed the plans as "cobbled together".
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Published 9 July Reform UK pledges to cut welfare to keep pensions triple lock
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