Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of Reform UK, speaks during the Reform party's annual conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Reform UK’s new pledge to prioritise British-born workers for social housing has been torn apart and described as “desperate”. The right-wing party will today unveil plans to restrict eligibility for social housing on top of its past commitment to fully evict foreign nationals from such accommodation. The plans mean it will be more difficult for single parents, unemployed people or those born outside of the UK to access social housing. The party said it “believes social housing should not be a reward for welfare”, and will put British-born workers under the age of 35 at the front of the queue – with priority for married couples with children. It also claims their existing pledge to evict foreign nationals entirely will free up around 540,000 social homes. Reform UK’s business, energy and trade spokesperson Richard Tice said: “There are now 1.3 million people waiting for social housing in Britain. “The vast majority of them do not have jobs. In terms of the social houses we have, less than half of households are in work and over half a million social homes are currently occupied by foreign nationals. “Meanwhile, young British men and women, who are working hard, can’t afford to move out of their family home, and when they do often find themself sharing a house with strangers, with no realistic prospect of forming a family or getting on. “It is time for us to prioritise young British workers, and that is what our policy is about.” He added that he would help “generation rent onto the housing ladder” and “get Britain building”. However, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said in January that nearly nine in 10 social homes go to UK nationals. Sarah Elliott, chief executive of the housing justice charity Shelter, said Tice’s plans were “designed to stoke division” and would only “disrupt the lives of thousands of families, tear communities apart and put even more people at risk of homelessness”. “We need politicians to stop scoring cheap political points and get on with building the 90,000 social rent homes a year for the next ten years that we desperately need,” she added. Francesca Albanese, the director of policy and social change at homelessness charity Crisis, also said the idea risks “scapegoating people who are already facing housing insecurity”. A Labour spokesperson slammed the announcements as a distraction from the ongoing scrutiny around the party’s finances. They said: “These unserious and unworkable plans are a desperate bid to shift headlines away from Reform’s sleaze, scandals and infighting. “Access to social housing is already tightly controlled. “Illegal migrants, asylum seekers and migrants on student or work visas are not eligible for social housing. “This policy would go after long-term UK residents that have contributed to our country but are not British citizens, including NHS staff. “It would leave more families at risk of homelessness and drive up use of temporary accommodation at the taxpayers’ expense. It would also mean renegotiations with the EU, resulting in years of wrangling. “While Reform push gimmicks and division, Labour is doing the hard yards to build more homes and bring back hope across our country.” The Conservatives’ shadow home secretary James Cleverly said: “This is yet another unfunded announcement from Reform and shows they have not done the hard work needed and is so often the case their maths simply doesn’t stack up.” He added: “The Conservatives have already set out comprehensive plans to ensure British nationals are at the front of the queue for social housing. Now Reform are trying to catch up.” Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Suella Braverman Slapped Down By James Cleverly In Spat Over Her Immigration Legacy 'Treating Public With Contempt': Reform Under Fire After 'Taking £20m In Crypto Donations' Kemi Badenoch Slaps Down 'Monstrous' Idea Of Tory Deal With Reform UK