The Conservatives have unveiled a social housing plan that would end new tenancies for foreign nationals in England if the party wins the next election. The proposal, centered on the phrase social housing plan, would also force some current tenants to leave, and the party says it could open up 228,144 homes for British families.
Under the plan, single people in social housing who are not UK, Irish, or EU citizens would lose their homes, including those with children. Couples would also be affected if neither person is a UK or EU citizen and they do not have EU settled status. The party says ineligible tenants would be expected to move out within six months.
For future tenancies, the Conservatives say UK nationals and people with EU settled status would still qualify. New EU citizens without settled status would not. Foreign nationals with settled status, refugee status, or specific humanitarian protections can currently qualify for social housing, while asylum seekers are generally excluded unless there are exceptional circumstances such as domestic abuse cases.
The party tied the policy to wider arguments over immigration and the housing backlog. Conservatives said Labour had lost control of immigration and left British families waiting for homes. They argued social housing should be reserved for people who have earned the right through work, tax contributions, and integration. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said Britain should not be a “cash machine for the world,” and said families were paying the price through housing waiting lists and the welfare bill.
Labour dismissed the proposal as unworkable and said it was copied from Reform. A Labour spokesperson said the policy would do nothing to address the housing crisis and would mainly hit refugees and long-term residents who had already contributed to the country. The spokesperson also said it could leave more families at risk of homelessness.
