Nigel Farage has announced plans to ban benefits for migrants and scrap indefinite leave to remain if Reform UK wins power. The Reform leader said he would end the right of migrants to apply for permanent residency in the UK after five years and instead force them to renew their visa every five years.
The Clacton MP referred to the numbers of migrants who came to Britain legally when Boris Johnson was prime minister. He said: “Welfare will end for everyone that is not a UK citizen, we will close the loopholes. Reform will ensure that welfare is for UK citizens only.
“We are cleaning up the mess of Boris Johnson. The Boriswave will bankrupt us. Reform will deal with Boriswave, the biggest betrayal of voters’ trust in modern times.”
A Government spokesperson said: “People here illegally rightly do not get anything from our benefits system. Foreign nationals usually have to wait five years to claim universal credit and we’re looking at increasing this to 10 years.
“We inherited a broken welfare system and spiralling benefits bill. That’s why we’re taking action and reforming the system and have seen the proportion of universal credit payments to foreign nationals fall since last July.”
Nigel Farage makes major announcement at Reform UK press conference
Nigel Farage has used another Reform UK press conference to put immigration, welfare, government reform and the party’s readiness for power back at the centre of Britain’s political debate.
The Reform leader has repeatedly argued that the United Kingdom requires a fundamental change in direction, presenting his party as an alternative to both Labour and the Conservatives. His latest political messaging comes at a significant moment, with Reform remaining one of the major forces in national polling while Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepares for his first major Labour conference speech as prime minister.
A YouGov poll conducted on September 27 and 28 put Reform on 25%, Labour on 24% and the Conservatives on 19%. The figures provide a snapshot of public opinion rather than a forecast of an election result, but they illustrate why Reform’s announcements are receiving substantial attention.
Farage has increasingly sought to move the party beyond protest politics and demonstrate that it has a detailed programme for government.
At Reform’s September conference in Birmingham, the party published a series of proposals for its first 100 days in office. Farage said a Reform government would declare a national emergency on its first day and would make stopping small-boat crossings and reducing the cost of living immediate priorities.
He also said Parliament could be required to sit for extended periods, including throughout the summer, to accelerate the passage of legislation. Reform said ministers who failed to deliver their promised measures within the first 100 days could be dismissed.
The proposals illustrate the scale of change Farage is presenting to voters.
Immigration remains one of the most prominent elements.
Reform has proposed much tougher measures against illegal migration, including changes to asylum arrangements and the removal of people who have no legal right to remain in Britain. Farage has previously argued that existing legal and international constraints prevent governments from carrying out the scale of removals he believes is necessary.
In August 2025, he announced proposals that included withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights and repealing the Human Rights Act as part of a plan to facilitate deportations. Those proposals were criticised by the government and others, who argued that withdrawing from international human-rights arrangements would have major legal consequences.
More recently, Reform has also proposed replacing the current system of indefinite leave to remain with renewable five-year visas for many migrants.
The significance of that proposal is that it would change the principle of permanent settlement. Under the existing system, eligible migrants can acquire indefinite leave to remain after meeting the requirements of their immigration route. Reform instead wants continued residence to depend on satisfying conditions under renewable visas.
The party has linked the proposal to concerns about the scale of legal migration and its effect on housing, public services and welfare spending.
Welfare is another major part of Farage’s programme.
Reform has argued that foreign nationals should generally be excluded from receiving benefits and that the welfare system should give priority to British citizens.
The proposal would represent a significant change from the existing system, where eligibility depends on immigration status, residence, contributions and the rules governing individual benefits rather than nationality alone.
Farage has presented welfare reform as part of a broader effort to reduce public expenditure. Critics, however, argue that many migrants work and pay taxes and National Insurance, meaning that nationality alone does not necessarily provide a complete measure of a person’s contribution to the British economy.
These disagreements demonstrate why the details of Reform’s proposals matter.
A political announcement does not itself change the law. Major alterations to immigration, welfare or human-rights arrangements would require legislation and parliamentary approval.
Farage has also placed economic issues at the centre of his political message.
The party has argued that Britain faces high taxes, weak economic growth and excessive government spending. Reform’s programme includes proposals aimed at reducing taxation and changing the way public money is allocated.
The cost-of-living argument is particularly important because Reform wants to present immigration and economic policy as interconnected issues.
Farage argues that reducing migration would reduce pressure on housing and public services, while restricting welfare eligibility could reduce government spending.
Opponents dispute aspects of this analysis and question whether the savings claimed by Reform would materialise at the levels suggested by the party.
The same debate applies to energy policy.
Reform has supported increased domestic production of oil and gas, including further North Sea development, while opposing some of Labour’s climate policies. The party argues that domestic energy production can contribute to energy security and economic activity.
The government has taken a different position, maintaining that existing North Sea fields should continue producing for their lifetimes while new exploration licences should not be issued under its current policy. The disagreement has become another area in which Reform seeks to distinguish itself from Labour.
Farage’s political strategy is therefore not based on a single announcement.
Instead, he is attempting to create a wider narrative in which immigration control, welfare reform, lower taxation, energy production and changes to the machinery of government form parts of the same programme.
That strategy also explains the importance of Reform’s recent conference.
The party has been trying to demonstrate that it has the personnel and policies required to govern rather than simply criticise the government.
Yet the organisation has faced significant scrutiny.
The September conference was overshadowed by allegations concerning political donations. Two senior Reform figures, Dan Jukes and James Orr, stepped down after an undercover investigation by Verbatim was broadcast by Channel 4. The footage appeared to show discussions about potential funding from an American source, while Reform denied wrongdoing.
Farage subsequently said that his party’s internal investigation into allegations concerning foreign donations was expected to reach him by the following Monday. Sky News reported on September 28 that he had given that timetable while speaking about the controversy.
The financial controversy has therefore become an important backdrop to the party’s attempts to portray itself as a government-in-waiting.
There is also the separate controversy surrounding a £5 million personal gift Farage received from cryptocurrency businessman Christopher Harborne in 2024. Farage has said the money was intended to cover his personal security. The matter has attracted parliamentary scrutiny, and rival parties have questioned whether the gift should have been declared under parliamentary rules.
Farage has rejected accusations of wrongdoing.
These disputes have not prevented Reform from continuing to make policy announcements, but they have affected the political environment in which those announcements are received.
Another important element of Farage’s strategy is his attempt to portray Reform as the main challenger to the established parties.
The latest YouGov figures show the party only one percentage point behind Labour, although polling can change rapidly and individual surveys should not be treated as predictions of an election outcome.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, remain another important part of the political equation. Kemi Badenoch has sharply criticised some Reform policies and accused Farage’s party of seeking to use state power against opponents, claims Reform rejects.
That means Farage’s press conferences are aimed at several audiences simultaneously.
They are designed to reassure Reform supporters that the party remains committed to its central promises, demonstrate to undecided voters that it has a broader policy platform and put pressure on Labour and the Conservatives by forcing them to respond to issues Reform has made politically prominent.
The next stage will depend on whether those proposals can move from political announcements into detailed legislation.
Questions about cost, legal compatibility, implementation and parliamentary approval will all become increasingly important if Reform seeks to turn its programme into government policy.
For now, Farage’s latest political messaging reinforces the direction Reform UK has taken during 2026.
The party is presenting itself as a vehicle for major changes to immigration policy, welfare, taxation, energy and government administration. Farage is also seeking to demonstrate that Reform has moved beyond a single-issue campaign and can offer a complete programme for government.
Whether voters ultimately agree with those proposals is a matter for them to decide.
What is clear is that Reform’s announcements have become an increasingly significant part of Britain’s political debate, particularly as Labour, the Conservatives and other parties respond to the issues Farage has placed at the centre of the national conversation.
The press conference therefore represents more than another appearance by the Reform leader. It forms part of a continuing effort to define what a Reform government would look like, what it would attempt to change first and how quickly it would seek to do so.
With immigration, welfare and the economy remaining politically contentious, Farage’s programme is likely to remain under close scrutiny as Britain’s parties prepare for the next phase of the political contest.