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Reform UK Unveils Pre‑Budget Plan Targeting EU Benefits and NHS Surcharge to Plug £25bn Gap

The party pitches shifting costs to foreign nationals as an alternative to tax rises, triggering immediate legal and diplomatic warnings.

Overview

  • Leader Nigel Farage and policy chief Zia Yusuf set out proposals they say would cover a £25 billion shortfall without raising taxes on British citizens.
  • Measures include banning EU citizens from claiming welfare such as Universal Credit and ending Universal Credit for foreign nationals, which the party claims would save £6 billion this year.
  • Reform proposes lifting the immigration health surcharge from £1,035 to £2,718 per year, arguing it reflects per‑person NHS costs and would raise about £5 billion annually.
  • The package also calls for cutting the foreign aid budget to roughly £1 billion, with claimed savings of around £10 billion.
  • Unions, pro‑EU campaigners and senior Conservatives warn the plans would create second‑class status for EU workers, risk trade friction with Brussels, and require renegotiating post‑Brexit rights; GB News reported a proposed three‑month notice before EU benefit payments end.