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Britain’s hard-right Reform UK party has vowed to scrap benefits for foreign nationals as part of a proposed overhaul of the nation’s welfare system.
The policy would include European Union citizens with settled status in the UK, meaning renewed negotiations would need to take place over the UK’s Brexit withdrawal agreement.
Outlining the plan in a speech on Monday, Robert Jenrick, Reform’s economics spokesperson and Member of Parliament for Newark, pledged to put an end to what he called the “foreign welfare ripoff.”
“The British taxpayer is acting as the welfare state for the world. That’s unfair,” he said.
“Under a Reform government, only British citizens will be entitled to benefits,” he continued, noting that there would be some exceptions for military service or those who have contributed to the state pension system.
“But beyond that, the line will be clear. The welfare state is there for Britain. No British citizenship, no entitlement,” he added.
Jenrick claimed the proposal could save British taxpayers £21 billion a year by 2029 if it were put in place today.
The cuts would affect Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Child Benefit, free childcare, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, and disability benefits, the anti-immigration party says.
Pressed as to whether the British public would want to go through another round of protracted negotiations with Brussels over the UK’s Brexit deal, Jenrick criticised the agreement and said there were a “number of points” that Reform would seek to renegotiate if it were in power.
“I’m confident that we can do that and we can restore fairness in the process,” he told reporters.
Conservative MP Helen Whately reportedly dismissed Reform’s welfare plans as “cobbled together.”
Westminster is expecting to spend £322 billion on welfare in Great Britain across 2025 to 2026, 10.6% of GDP and 23.6% of total government spending over the period.
The government says that around 55% of social security expenditure goes towards pensioners.