Reform UK has unveiled a "welfare to work" proposal that would require long‑term unemployed claimants to complete 20 hours of unpaid community work each week. The work, to be organised by local councils, would include cleaning high streets, carrying out minor repairs, beautifying neglected places, staffing libraries and community centres, and other tasks listed by the party.
Enforcement and penalties
Anyone who refuses a placement or fails to attend would see their benefit payments withdrawn. Reform says local charities and community groups would be invited to assist in delivering the scheme.
International parallels
The idea mirrors periodic proposals in Canadian provinces and mandatory‑work programmes already operating in several US states. Critics in those jurisdictions have warned that such measures can disproportionately affect vulnerable people, a concern echoed by opponents in the UK.
London’s rising claimants
Research by Trust for London shows a sharp increase in benefit reliance since the pandemic. There are now 201,000 more working‑age Londoners on unemployment benefits than in 2019, bringing the total to 349,500 across the capital.
Restrictions on foreign nationals
Reform also intends to bar foreign nationals – including EU citizens with settled status – from claiming almost any benefit. Implementing the ban would require renegotiating the post‑Brexit trade deal with the EU and could jeopardise the rights of British expatriates.
Financial claims and political reaction
The party argues the package would save £21 billion a year by its fifth year and would be part of a broader effort to cut £50 billion from the welfare bill. As part of the same plan, Personal Independence Payments and the health element of Universal Credit for working‑age adults would be abolished.
Speaking at a central London event, Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick warned, "those taking everyone else for mugs, under a Reform government, it's going to stop". He added, "The British taxpayer is acting as the welfare state for the world. That is unfair".
Labour countered that the vast majority of migrants already lack access to benefits, while pro‑EU group Best for Britain argued that denying benefits to those with indefinite leave would breach the UK’s EU withdrawal agreement. The group’s policy director, Tom Brufatto, said the public wants a renegotiated relationship with Europe that does not damage ties with settled neighbours.
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride criticised Reform’s figures as implausible and accused the party of flip‑flopping on previous welfare reforms.