Nigel Farage can leverage trade deals to halt benefit payments for European nationals, declares Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s prospective Home Secretary. Continental leaders mock the situation now, but that changes with Farage as prime minister, he warns. Britain acts as a “food bank for the world,” Yusuf states, calling the policy insane and unacceptable.
Renegotiating Post-Brexit Deals
Reform UK pledges to scrap the Withdrawal Agreement to curb welfare costs for foreign citizens, projected to exceed £20 billion. Handouts to EU nationals have surged sevenfold, straining public finances. “It was already an unfair deal, and now the facts have changed,” Yusuf explains. “Without renegotiation, costs will top £20 billion by 2029—more than policing spending by 2030.”
The UK holds strong trade leverage with nations like France and Germany. At the original agreement’s signing, four times more EU nationals claimed UK benefits than vice versa. Reform commits to ending these payments and negotiating fairer terms to protect British interests.
Overhauling Welfare Access
Reform UK plans to eliminate indefinite leave to remain, introducing five-year visas instead. Existing settled status holders must reapply. Foreign nationals face a total ban on welfare claims; only UK citizens qualify under a Reform government.
“EU settled status holders keep their status, but lose welfare entitlements,” Yusuf clarifies. “Taxpayers already spend £15 billion yearly on universal credit for them alone. How high must this rise—£25 billion, £50 billion?” The policy reverses prior guarantees, prioritizing citizens amid economic pressures.
Mass Deportation and Immigration Controls
Yusuf describes migrant influxes as an invasion, advocating Reform’s largest deportation program in UK history. Migrants must “more than pay their way economically, speak English, and avoid crime,” he insists—a reasonable demand for any serious nation.
Amid tax burdens, cost-of-living crises, military shortfalls, pensioner neglect, and farmer distress, such subsidies prove intolerable. A new UK Deportation Command will aggregate data from banks, Home Office, HMRC, police, DVLA, and NHS to locate illegal migrants.
Voluntary returns offer £2,500 incentives during a six-month window. Post-grace period, enforcement raids detain holdouts. The Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill bars asylum claims and mandates removals. Reform exits the European Convention on Human Rights and disapplies related laws, enabling five daily deportation flights.
Security Risks from Channel Crossings
Channel migrants pose a terror threat, Yusuf warns, deeming an attack tragically likely. Security services perform admirably despite under-resourcing and weak leadership allowing unchecked arrivals on UK beaches.
