Reform UK Pledges to Prioritise British-Born Workers for Social Housing

 

24 August 2026

Reform UK has unveiled plans to overhaul the allocation of social housing, pledging to give greater priority to British-born workers, particularly younger people struggling to secure affordable homes.

Under the proposal, British-born workers aged under 35 would be moved towards the front of social-housing waiting lists. Additional priority would be given to married couples with children, people in work and military veterans.

The announcement forms part of Reform UK's wider housing and immigration agenda. The party says Britain faces a severe shortage of affordable housing and argues that people who work and contribute to the country should receive greater priority when social homes are allocated.

Reform deputy leader Richard Tice has argued that many young working people are struggling to afford homes despite being in employment. The party has also pledged to build 50,000 affordable homes a year, saying its proposals would help expand supply as well as change how existing properties are allocated.

The policy would represent a significant change from the current approach. In England, councils already use allocation rules that can take account of factors such as housing need, local connection and eligibility. Government proposals have previously considered stronger UK-connection and local-connection tests for access to social housing.

Reform's latest proposal has nevertheless attracted strong criticism. Opponents argue that prioritising people according to where they were born could be discriminatory and could create further divisions between British-born residents and people who were born overseas but have lived, worked and contributed to the UK for many years.

Housing campaigners have also questioned whether changing the order of waiting lists can solve the underlying problem: a shortage of social and affordable homes. Labour has described Reform's proposals as "unserious and unworkable", while critics argue that substantially increasing housebuilding would be a more effective long-term solution.

Reform UK, however, maintains that the existing system needs fundamental reform. Its broader housing policy calls for social housing to prioritise local people and those who have contributed to the system, while placing foreign nationals lower in the allocation process.

The proposal is likely to intensify Britain's political debate over immigration, housing shortages and access to public services. With more than a million households reported to be waiting for social housing, the question of who should receive priority is becoming an increasingly important political issue.

If implemented, Reform's plans would face significant legal, administrative and political challenges. For now, they remain a political proposal rather than government policy, but they signal the party's intention to make housing allocation a central part of its "British workers first" agenda.