The UK Conservative Party has unveiled plans to stop foreign nationals from accessing social housing in England if it returns to power, saying the proposal would make more homes available for British families.
According to the party, the policy could free up an estimated 228,144 social housing units currently occupied or potentially available to non-British nationals.
The proposal would apply to two categories: foreign nationals seeking new social housing tenancies and households currently occupying social homes where neither adult is a UK, Irish nor EU citizen.
The Conservatives argued that Labour’s handling of immigration has worsened pressure on the housing system, leaving many British families stuck on waiting lists.
Labour, however, dismissed the proposal as impractical, accusing the Conservatives of borrowing a policy from Reform UK instead of addressing the country’s housing shortage.
The announcement follows a similar proposal by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who suggested in June that foreign tenants should be given three months to secure private accommodation or face deportation if his party formed the next government.
Under the Conservative proposal, households deemed ineligible would be required to leave their social housing within six months.
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The policy would also prevent future applicants who are not UK nationals or holders of EU settled status from qualifying for social housing. EU citizens without settled status would also be excluded.
At present, foreign nationals with settled status, refugee status or certain humanitarian protections can apply for social housing, while asylum seekers are generally excluded except in limited circumstances, such as cases involving domestic abuse.
Social housing, typically managed by local councils and housing associations, provides accommodation that is generally more affordable and offers greater security than private rentals.
Government figures cited in the report show that 1.34 million households were on social housing waiting lists as of March 2025.
The data also indicated that UK nationals accounted for 89 per cent of new social housing lettings during the 2024-2025 period, while refugees represented 2.3 per cent. Among refugee beneficiaries, Afghan and Ukrainian nationals made up the largest groups.
Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately defended the proposal, saying access to welfare benefits should be earned.
“Britain cannot be a cash machine for the world. 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,” Whately said.
Labour’s Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, criticised the proposal, warning it would affect refugees and long-term UK residents while increasing the risk of homelessness.
“No amount of headline-chasing, or following Reform to the extremes, can hide the damage the Tories did to our housing system,” Rayner said.
She described the proposal as an unworkable imitation of Reform UK’s housing policy that failed to tackle the root causes of the housing crisis.
Housing charity Shelter also condemned the proposal, arguing that access to social housing is already subject to strict eligibility rules.
Its chief executive, Sarah Elliott, said: “These divisive plans would brutally kick people out of their homes, including thousands of families and pensioners who have lived in them for decades.”
She blamed the country’s housing challenges on years of inadequate investment in affordable homes.
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, welcomed the Conservatives’ adoption of a similar policy but argued it did not go far enough because it exempted people with EU settled status.
“Incredibly, Kemi Badenoch’s new policy is to allow tens of thousands of foreign nationals from the EU to occupy British social housing funded by British taxpayers. Reform UK will ensure British social housing is strictly for British citizens,” Yusuf said.