On Sunday (14th June), Reform Leader, Nigel Farage MP, posted an essay saying that his party would ban foreign nationals from living in social housing. He said tenants would be required to find private accommodation within three months or face possible deportation, including people who have a right to remain in our country.  

In response, Matt Downie, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “These are policies that deliberately conflate nationality, ethnicity and immigration status. It is a false narrative that will only serve to stoke division and, if implemented, would increase homelessness. 

 "Housing is one of the biggest issues facing this country because, over decades, we have failed to build enough genuinely affordable homes and our social housing stock has been gutted by the Right to Buy scheme. 

 “To put it really simply – the housing crisis has been caused by far too few homes being built. 

 “Most foreign nationals simply cannot access social housing. Non-UK nationals living in the UK with temporary immigration statuses for work or to study are not eligible for social housing because they are subject to the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ condition, which means they can’t access any benefits. People seeking asylum are not eligible for social housing either. 

 “There is no general entitlement to social housing for anyone in England. Everyone must qualify through local allocation schemes based on need. In 2024/25 89% of lead tenants for new social lettings were UK nationals. 

 “Many of the people experiencing homelessness right now are British citizens who have been on social housing waiting lists for years. Pitting them against other vulnerable groups serves no one and doesn’t get us closer to the solutions we need – to build more social homes.”