Reform UK proposes prioritizing British-born workers in social housing

Reform UK announced a major overhaul of social housing policy on Monday, August 24, 2026, proposing a new allocation system that prioritizes British-born workers, married couples with children, and veterans while also pledging a significant expansion in construction. The plan, unveiled by party deputy leader Richard Tice, seeks to link the housing debate to wider issues of migration, welfare, and employment.

Central to the proposal is a queue system for social housing that would place "British-born workers under the age of 35 at the front of the queue," with priority given to employed British nationals. Married couples with children would receive particular preference. Tice argued that access to subsidized housing should not be "a reward for welfare" and that the system has been undermined by a chronic shortage. "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."

To address the supply shortage, Reform UK pledged to build an extra 50,000 affordable social homes every year for a decade, amounting to 500,000 additional properties. The party claims this expansion would be...