Reform UK's proposals to overhaul social housing by prioritising British-born workers under 35 and evicting foreign nationals have drawn strong criticism from political opponents and housing campaigners ahead of their formal launch.

Housing charity Shelter criticised the party's eviction plans, arguing that constructing new properties is the real solution rather than "changing the order of the queue" and "stoking division".

Labour attacked the proposals, pointing out that illegal migrants, asylum seekers, and people on student or work visas are already barred from social housing under current rules. A Labour spokesperson said Reform's plans would instead penalise long-term contributors such as foreign NHS staff, drive up temporary accommodation costs for taxpayers, and require years of complex treaty renegotiations with the European Union.

The Conservatives also pushed back, with Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly accusing Reform of "trying to catch up" with existing Conservative proposals to restrict social housing access. The Conservative plan, which would exempt Irish citizens and some EU nationals, is estimated by the Tories to free up roughly 230,000 homes.

Official data from the English Housing Survey indicates that UK or Irish nationals made up 88.5 per cent of main social housing tenants in 2024-25, meaning around 11.5 per cent were non-UK or Irish nationals. Reform UK estimates that 540,000 social homes are currently occupied by foreign nationals and that foreign nationals make up roughly 15 per cent of the 1.3 million households on waiting lists across Britain.

Under the policy to be detailed at a press conference on Monday, Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice MP will set out plans to prioritise domestic workers under 35, married couples with children, military veterans, and employed British nationals. The party claims social housing should not act as a reward for welfare.

Mr Tice, who points to his background leading commercial property development companies, argued the measures are needed to help "generation rent" secure homes. The party's proposals also include building 50,000 affordable social homes every year—which it claims will be fiscally neutral without additional borrowing or new taxes—and enforcing evictions for repeated breaches of estate maintenance standards.

What remains unclear is how Reform UK intends to legally enforce the evictions of existing foreign tenants, or how it will deliver 50,000 homes annually without public spending. Mr Tice is expected to outline the funding mechanism during Monday's press conference. I will be following the announcement and reviewing the details as they emerge.