The Conservative Party has unveiled plans to make most foreign nationals ineligible for social housing, arguing the measure would free up nearly 230,000 council homes for British families and help tackle mounting waiting lists.
The proposal, announced by Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately, marks the party’s latest effort to sharpen its stance on immigration and welfare as it seeks to counter growing competition from Reform UK.
Under the policy, foreign nationals without British citizenship or EU settled status would no longer qualify for council housing. Existing tenants who fell outside the new eligibility rules would be required to leave their properties within six months and seek accommodation in the private rental market.
The Conservatives estimate that around 230,000 social housing properties currently occupied by non-EU foreign national households could eventually become available for British applicants.
Ms Whately argued that access to taxpayer-funded housing should be tied more closely to long-term contribution.
“Making Britain your home should be earned by working, paying tax and integrating,” she said, adding that Britain “cannot be a cash machine for the world”.
The proposal comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged a major expansion of council house construction through what Labour describes as the largest social housing programme for decades. Conservatives contend that tightening eligibility rules would ease housing pressures more quickly than relying solely on new building.
According to official figures, British nationals accounted for the overwhelming majority of new social housing lettings in England during 2024-25, although several thousand properties were allocated to refugees and other non-UK nationals with legal entitlement.
The announcement also highlights the increasingly competitive political landscape on immigration. Reform UK has proposed going further by removing all foreign nationals from social housing, including many long-term residents, while reducing the notice period for affected tenants to three months.
Labour dismissed the Conservative proposal as both impractical and largely symbolic, arguing that many foreign nationals are already excluded from social housing. The party said the changes would primarily affect refugees and long-term legal residents, including public sector workers, while increasing pressure on temporary accommodation and homelessness services.
The debate underscores how access to housing has become an increasingly contested issue in British politics, with immigration, affordability and supply now central themes ahead of the next general election.
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