Reform UK Unveils Social Housing Priority Plan for British Nationals
Scheme prioritises veterans, employed individuals, and married couples under 35 with children, while excluding foreign nationals and asylum seekers.
Sarah Connor
Reform UK has announced a new plan to prioritise British nationals for social housing.
Richard Tice confirmed a married British couple would receive preference over a single British person; individuals born abroad to British parents temporarily overseas would be considered British-born for the policy's purposes.
The policy, according to Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice, would necessitate changes to the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act.
Experts claim the plan would likely fall foul of the Equality Act and the European Convention on Human Rights. Ben Brindle noted that restricting social housing based on place of birth would represent a significant shift from current law.
The UK's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement guarantees equal treatment for EU citizens who moved to the UK before Brexit.
Experts claim Reform UK's plans to prioritise British-born people for social housing could spark a trade war with the EU and hurt British expats.
The Oxford University Migration Observatory claims the policy would breach the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, leading Brussels to suspend elements of the UK’s trade deal and make life harder for Brits living in the EU.
A Labour Party spokesperson stated the plan would create a £10 billion black hole in public finances and could lead to years of wrangling with the EU.
These unserious and unworkable plans are a desperate bid to shift headlines away from Reform’s sleaze, scandals and infighting.
The Conservative party estimates they could free up around 230,000 homes by revoking the right of foreign nationals to social housing, with exceptions for Irish citizens and some EU nationals.
The policy suggests eligible young British workers could buy their homes at a discount after five years through the Right to Buy scheme if they maintain their homes and contribute to society.
Richard Tice claims the affordable housing system in the UK is broken and only Reform UK can fix it.
Tice further claims only 27 per cent of people in social housing are in work, and only 36 per cent of lettings last year were to people in work.
He claims people who work and do the right thing should be at the top of the queue, not foreign nationals or asylum seekers. Tice also confirmed that putting British-born individuals before other British citizens would not be lawful under the current legal framework.