Full Breakdown
Reform UK Plans Mass Eviction of Foreign Nationals
6/14/2026, 9:07:56 PM
Eviction Policy and Timeline
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced a policy that foreign nationals in council-owned social housing must move to private rented accommodation within three months, or lose the right to remain and face deportation under “Operation Restoring Justice.” The proposal is timed before the Makerfield by-election on Thursday.
Social-Housing Allocation to Non-UK Citizens
The Housing Ministry reported 12 % of lead tenants in 2024/25 were foreign nationals. Non-UK citizens made up one in ten new lettings in 2022/23, and Census data show passport-holding residents rose from 5 % in 2011 to 7 % in 2021. The government says nearly nine in ten social homes are occupied by UK nationals.
Key Figures
Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, proposes the plan, affecting foreign nationals in council housing, veterans, long-term residents, domestic-abuse survivors and care leavers.
Government Response
The government says illegal migrants, asylum seekers and work-visa holders are ineligible for social housing, and that local-connection rules already prioritize UK nationals, who occupy nearly nine in ten homes.
Criticism
A source close to Housing Secretary Steve Reed called the plan unworkable without an immigration-enforcement agency, likening it to a “Trump ICE-style deportation police force” that could be trialled in Manchester.
Conflicting Data
Farage claims one-third of London’s social-housing tenants are foreign-born, a figure not reflected in Migration Observatory data (10 % of new lettings) or Census data (5-7 % passport-holding residents). The Housing Ministry’s 12 % lead-tenant statistic excludes naturalised citizens, leaving the proportion unclear.
Quotes
- “Residency and preference requirements for social housing will be used to ensure that veterans and long-term local residents will be preferenced for social housing, with exceptions only for groups like domestic abuse survivors and care leavers,” — Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader
- “Foreign nationals who are unable to relocate to private rented accommodation after a three-month grace period will lose the right to remain and be liable for deportation under Operation Restoring Justice,” — Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader
- “Farage knows there's no way of this happening without establishing a Trump ICE-style deportation police force in the UK, something he will presumably be trialled in Manchester should he win the mayoralty election,” — Source close to The Telegraph
- “rules which gave priority to local people and ties to the area were stripped away, in part on the grounds that they discriminated against Britain’s newly diverse population, only to be reimposed in part only after massive disruption to the social fabric of these areas.” — Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader
Future Steps
Reform UK will present the plan in the Thursday Makerfield by-election, where polls show it trailing Labour. If elected, party says it will create deportation hubs and pursue a net-zero immigration target.
