Reform UK Pushes to End EU Nationals’ Welfare Payments
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s prospective Home Secretary, urges using trade leverage to halt what he calls “insane” benefit payments to European nationals. Continental leaders are “laughing at us,” he warns, adding they “won’t be when Nigel Farage becomes prime minister.”
Yusuf declares: “It’s insane and unacceptable that Britain should be a food bank for the world.” Reform UK leaders pledge to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement to curb a welfare bill for foreign citizens projected to exceed £20 billion. Handouts to EU nationals have surged sevenfold, straining public finances.
Escalating Costs and Renegotiation Demands
“It was already an unfair deal, and now the facts on the ground have completely changed,” Yusuf states. “If you don’t renegotiate, that number is going to be north of £20 billion.”
By 2030, these payments could surpass the national policing budget. “We have to go and have this conversation. It is completely unfair. We will stop those payments and we will negotiate,” he asserts. The UK holds strong leverage as a key trading partner for France, Germany, and other EU nations.
At the time of the Withdrawal Agreement, four times more EU nationals claimed UK welfare than vice versa. Since then, claims by EU nationals have increased sevenfold, demanding adaptation to protect British interests.
Welfare Overhaul for Foreign Nationals
Reform UK plans to eliminate indefinite leave to remain, introducing five-year visas instead. Existing settlement rights holders must reapply. Foreign nationals would face a total ban on welfare claims, reserving benefits for UK citizens only.
EU citizens with settled status retain residency but lose welfare entitlements. “£15 billion of taxpayers’ money has been spent on universal credit payments alone,” Yusuf notes. “If you extrapolate that through to 2029, that’s well north of £20 billion.” He questions: “How big does that number need to be? The vast majority are EU nationals.”
Migrant Requirements and Deportation Strategy
Yusuf outlines strict conditions for migrants: “You more than pay your way, economically, you speak English, and you do not commit crime.” He frames this as sensible amid tax burdens, cost-of-living pressures, military underfunding, pensioner neglect, and farmer distress.
Reform UK proposes the largest mass deportation program in UK history, targeting illegal migrants. A new ‘UK Deportation Command’ will leverage data from banks, Home Office, HMRC, police, DVLA, and NHS to identify targets.
Illegal migrants receive £2,500 each to depart voluntarily within six months. Post-grace period, enforcement raids and detentions follow. The planned Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill bars asylum claims and mandates home secretary removals.
Reform UK commits to exiting the European Convention on Human Rights and disapplying other human rights laws, like the Refugee Convention, enabling five deportation flights daily.
Terror Risks from Channel Crossings
Yusuf warns of heightened terror threats from Channel migrants: “It seems like that’s a tragically and devastatingly likely thing to potentially happen.” Security services perform admirably but remain under-resourced amid inadequate leadership allowing unchecked arrivals.
