Reform UK has unveiled plans to overhaul the allocation of social housing, putting British-born workers under 35 at the front of the queue and promising a decade-long expansion of affordable homes.
The proposals would give priority to British-born workers, with married couples with children receiving particular preference. Veterans would also be prioritised, while social housing would be directed towards British nationals in employment, reflecting Reform’s argument that access to subsidised housing should not become “a reward for welfare”.
The policy marks an attempt by Reform to turn Britain’s housing shortage into a broader political argument over migration, welfare and access to public services.
Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, said the system had been undermined by a chronic shortage of affordable and council housing.
“We’ve ended up with a desperate shortage of affordable housing, council housing, and it’s got worse and worse,” he said.
“Our ambition is to stop the rot. We need to turn it around. And so from a construction point of view, a Reform Government will build an extra 50,000 affordable social homes every year for a decade.
“That is more than has been achieved for decades. Not only do we know it’s the right thing to do, but it’s also the fair thing to do. But it’s absolutely essential.”
The proposed construction programme would amount to 500,000 additional affordable social homes over 10 years, according to Reform.
Watch LIVE as Richard Tice sets out our plan to deliver affordable social housing for working Brits https://t.co/CeKOuWgPhS
— Reform UK (@reformparty_uk) August 24, 2026
Tice also attacked Labour’s record on housing, arguing that the government was failing to deliver on its construction ambitions while restricting opportunities for tenants to purchase their homes.
“They’re missing all their targets by a country mile and the Labour Party, supposedly looking after workers, are actually doing exactly the opposite,” he said.
“They’re literally withdrawing from a Right to Buy programme. They’re making it so restrictive, almost nobody will buy it.”
The party’s approach combines a significant expansion of the social housing stock with a more restrictive allocation system. Reform argues that increasing supply is necessary to prevent the debate from becoming simply a question of distributing an increasingly scarce pool of council properties.
Tice defended Right to Buy, which allowed millions of council tenants to purchase their homes during the 1980s and 1990s, while arguing that governments subsequently failed to replace the homes sold.
“It was a great success in the 80s and 90s, but the mistake was not building more,” he said.
“This plan is about building over a decade, another 500,000 affordable social homes. It’s the right thing to do.”
The proposals are likely to intensify an already politically charged debate over the relationship between housing supply and migration.
For Reform, the challenge is to present preferential access for British nationals not merely as a redistribution of existing housing but as part of a wider programme to expand supply. Its promise of 50,000 additional homes a year would represent a substantial increase in the stock of publicly supported housing.
The party is betting that combination — more homes, tighter eligibility and a British-first allocation system — can convert mounting frustration over housing costs into electoral support.
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