Kemi Badenoch has pledged to evict almost 230,000 foreign nationals from council housing, under plans to end Britain’s status as a “cash machine for the world”. The Telegraph has more.
The Conservatives would eject almost 230,000 non-EU foreign national households, which the party said would free up homes for British families.
The policy would also ban any foreigners, from the EU or elsewhere, from signing new tenancies.
Announcing the plans, Helen Whately, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: “Making Britain your home should be earned by working, paying tax and integrating.
“It should not come with a free ride on the benefits system. Britain cannot be a cash machine for the world.”
The waiting list for social housing has reached 1.3 million households in the UK, and housing charities have warned that the backlog will take more than a century to clear at the current rate of construction.
Andy Burnham has pledged to bring social housing into public ownership and begin the “biggest council house building programme since the post-war period”.
However, the Tories argue the waiting list could be cut more quickly by banning foreign nationals from claiming state-funded homes.
Under Badenoch’s policy, tenants who do not qualify would be expected to move out of their homes within six months.
Under a future Conservative government, UK nationals and those with EU settled status would be eligible for social housing, but new arrivals from EU countries would not be.
Any single person, with or without children, who is not a UK, or EU citizen would lose their entitlement outright.
There are currently more than four million socially rented homes in England, provided by both housing associations and councils. Social housing is normally cheaper and more secure than privately rented homes.
The issue of accommodation for asylum seekers has sparked protests across Britain in recent months.
Anti-migrant protesters attacked homes they believed were being used to house asylum seekers in Thetford, Norfolk, on Wednesday night. One police officer was allegedly bitten, and another was hit by a rock.
Meanwhile, protests were held outside housing associations in Glasgow last month over fears migrants were skipping the queue for social housing.
Whately added: “Labour has lost control of immigration and lost control of the welfare bill, and it is British families picking up the bill and sitting on waiting lists.
“The next Conservative government will make foreign nationals ineligible for social housing. Nearly 230,000 homes could go to British families.”
The Conservatives’ plan echoes a similar idea announced by Reform UK in June, which proposed ejecting all foreigners from social housing.
Unlike the Conservatives, Reform proposes to apply its ban retrospectively, regardless of how long someone has been living in the UK, by simultaneously abolishing Indefinite Leave to Remain immigration status.
Worth reading in full.
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Gee that is big of the conservatives. Too bad they do not have a comprehensive plan for all welfare housing.
Evicting 230,000 social housing tenants would be a herculaneum task. Where would these people go? To the private rented sector? Simply transferring housing benefit from social housing landlords to private sector landlords. It is not going to happen. Another performative announcement.
Not forgetting that Labour’s ludicrous interference with how private landlords are able to operate, has caused a great number of them to withdraw from renting their properties out, and to put them on the market.
If we have LEFT the EU (yes I know), why should we provide social housing for EU citizens with settled status?
I prefer Reform’s policy. And – until proven otherwise – I think they are far more likely to really try to implement it.
Nice sounding words. But they won’t do any of this. The Liberal order they operate under won’t allow them.
Pull the other one, it’s got bells on it. Who let them all in?
Actually it is not worth reading in full. The right policy was announced some months ago by Reform.
It is tedious for us and I say dishonest of them to put forward policies in opposition which they pursued in exactly the opposite direction when in office.
do they take us for mugs. We would be if we accepted the sincerity and good faith of the Tories. After so many years, right back to “in Europe not run by Europe” and the insults of successive Tory leaders towards those of us with the temerity to notice their distinctly unconservative policies, we would be barking to accept their feigned change of mind.
Why has it taken the Conservative Party 16 years to realise that this is necessary?
“I have my pledges. And when I get into No 10, I have others.”
BTW, where are these evicted persons going to live? In shanty towns on the South Downs?
Indeed. These politicians seem to write policy without thinking.
Tragically for the ‘Tories’, they, as much as any other party, got us into this mess.
And, I don’t believe they would clear it up, either.
Well said. They betrayed their core voters, and anyone who thinks that they would be any different if they were elected, must be mad.
The Anything Reform can do we can do better* Party.
*Until we get into Office then we’ll do the opposite.
Much better expressed than my long form response.
Spot on, JXB!
But Reform hasn’t done anything yet.
They are done, finished. They destroyed their credibility and you cannot get that back. My only question is who are the cretins who still say they will vote for them?