Reform to prioritise young married couples for social housing in ‘unserious and unworkable’ plans

A Reform UK government will prioritise married couples aged under-35 with children for social housing in new plans already branded “unserious and unworkable”.

Nigel Farage’s party has announced plans to overhaul the allocation of social housing, which will see British-born workers under the age of 35 will be placed at the front of the waiting list.

The policy would also see priority given to married couples with children, while veterans and those in work will also be pushed up the waiting list.

The proposal follow a previous pledge to remove foreign nationals from social housing, which the party claims will free up 540,000 homes.

But Labour hit out at the plan, calling it a “desperate bid to shift headlines away from Reform’s sleaze, scandals and infighting”.

“These unserious and unworkable plans are a desperate bid to shift headlines away from Reform’s sleaze, scandals and infighting,” a spokesperson said.

“Access to social housing is already tightly controlled. Illegal migrants, asylum seekers and migrants on student or work visas are not eligible for social housing. This policy would go after long-term UK residents that have contributed to our country but are not British citizens, including NHS staff.

“It would leave more families at risk of homelessness and drive up use of temporary accommodation at the taxpayers' expense. It would also mean renegotiations with the EU, resulting in years of wrangling.

“While Reform push gimmicks and division, Labour is doing the hard yards to build more homes and bring back hope across our country.”

At a press conference on Monday, Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice will lay out the plans, as well as the party’s ambition to build 50,000 affordable social homes a year.

“There are now 1.3 million people waiting for social housing in Britain,” Mr Tice said. “The vast majority of them do not have jobs. In terms of the social houses we have, less than half of households are in work and over half a million social homes are currently occupied by foreign nationals.

"Meanwhile, young British men and women, who are working hard, can’t afford to move out of their family home, and when they do often find themself sharing a house with strangers, with no realistic prospect of forming a family or getting on.

"It is time for us to prioritise young British workers, and that is what our policy is about.”

In June, Mr Farage first outlined a policy proposal stating his party would evict all foreign nationals from social housing should they gain power.

He said that, under a Reform government, foreign nationals in social housing would be given a three-month grace period to relocate to private rented accommodation, or lose their right to remain in the country and be liable for deportation.

Mr Tice added: "I have spent my entire career in property development, as a private citizen I have led companies which delivered thousands of new homes. In government I will break down the barriers to getting generation rent onto the housing ladder.

"It is time to get Britain building. It is time for someone who understands how housing works to take charge. Let's give our young people the homes they deserve.