The Conservatives' plan to evict foreign nationals from council housing has been condemned as divisive, unserious and unworkable. Party leader Kemi Badenoch has framed the proposal as a way to end what she describes as Britain's status as a cash machine for the world, positioning it as part of a wider stance on migration and public services.
Analysis of the plan suggests that around 230,000 households would be affected if the policy were introduced. At the same time, the figures indicate that the overwhelming majority of social housing in England is already occupied by British nationals, which has fuelled questions about how much difference the proposal would actually make in practice.
The scale of demand for social housing dwarfs the number of households that would be removed under the plans. There are about 1.3 million households currently on waiting lists, roughly six times the number who would be evicted, underlining how far supply falls short of the need for affordable homes across the country.
Part of that pressure is rooted in the shrinking of the housing stock over decades. In 1980 there were around 5.5 million social rent homes in England, but since then about 2 million have been sold through the Right to Buy scheme. New building has not kept pace with those losses, leaving a gap that has pushed waiting lists higher.
Campaigners have warned that the Conservative plans could push children and families into homelessness. They point to a rising number of people already facing homelessness, growing numbers of children in temporary accommodation and a swelling social housing waiting list, arguing that the proposal does nothing to address those underlying problems.
The government has responded by saying that access to social housing is already tightly controlled under existing rules. It cautioned that the Conservative plan risks pushing up costs and harming communities, casting doubt on whether the proposal would deliver the outcomes its supporters say it is designed to achieve.
The debate is unfolding against a wider political backdrop, with Reform touting a similar plan and Labour also focusing on migration. That context has prompted some to view the proposal as being as much about political signalling as about making practical changes to how social housing is allocated in Britain.