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Reform UK proposes benefits ban for foreign nationals, including EU citizens

Reform UK has announced a proposal to exclude foreign nationals, including EU citizens with settled status, from most benefits, which would require renegotiating the UK's Brexit deal.

  • Reform UK proposes to ban foreign nationals, including EU citizens with settled status, from most benefits.
  • The policy would require renegotiating the UK's Brexit deal and could risk similar rights for British expats in the EU.
  • Reform claims the policy would save £21bn annually by its fifth year.

Foreign nationals would be excluded from most benefits under a Reform UK government, the party has stated. This proposed ban, part of an overhaul of Britain's benefits system, would include European Union (EU) nationals who have settled status in the UK.

Implementing this policy would necessitate renegotiating the UK's Brexit deal with the EU. This could potentially lead to British expatriates living in the EU losing equivalent rights.

Reform UK claims the policy would save £21bn a year by its fifth year. However, Labour argues that the "vast majority" of migrants do not access benefits, while the Conservatives have dismissed the plans as "cobbled together."

The proposals would ban foreign nationals from nearly all welfare payments, including housing benefit, pension credit, jobseeker's allowance, child benefit, free childcare, and disability benefits. Limited exemptions would apply, such as the war widows pension and Armed Forces compensation.

Reform's shadow chancellor Robert Jenrick is scheduled to formally unveil the party's welfare plans in a speech on Monday.

Why this matters: The proposed policy could significantly alter the UK's welfare system and its relationship with the EU, potentially affecting the rights of both foreign nationals in the UK and British expats abroad.

What this means for you: If implemented, foreign nationals in the UK, including EU citizens with settled status, could lose access to most welfare payments. British expatriates living in the EU could also face a risk of losing similar rights.

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