‘Of course it’s fair’: Minister defends controversial policy of prioritising social homes for those with ‘UK connection’
The government has defended plans to prioritise social housing for British citizens and those with “close connections” to the UK as “fair”, despite charities criticising it as divisive.
Housing minister Lee Rowley said social housing was a “finite resource” and the government wanted to “make sure that we use it in a way which works”.
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Under the plans, applicants for social housing would have to demonstrate a connection to the UK for at least 10 years and their local area for at least two years, in what ministers are describing as an “overhaul” of the system.
People with unspent criminal convictions or certain civil sanctions for anti-social behaviour could also be banned from social housing for up to five years, while those who “repeatedly make their neighbours’ lives hell” through anti-social behaviour also face eviction under a “three strikes and you’re out” policy.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Rowley said housing was “always going to be a finite resource”.
“We want to make sure that we use it in a way which works, which supports the people who need it but is also fair.”
Asked what would happen to people who were either not British or had not lived here for a long time, Mr Rowley said they could rely on the private rented sector, while those who are homeless would be helped by the government into temporary accommodation.
Pressed on whether the plans were “fair”, the minister replied: “Of course it’s fair – it’s fair that people who’ve been here for a long time who have paid into the system get the access to social housing, which is a precious and finite resource.”
Charities have criticised the announcement, with Shelter branding it “scapegoating at its worst”.
“It is unnecessary, unenforceable and unjust,” it said. “If the government genuinely wants to tackle the housing emergency there’s a clear solution: we need more social homes.”
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‘We’re not building enough houses’
The charity went on to say there were already “stringent” rules that meant only UK citizens or those with settled status could access homes for social rent.
“This is nothing but blaming a group of people for a housing emergency they did not create,” it said.
Labour frontbencher Peter Kyle said measures were introduced under the last Labour government that ensured that people who came to the UK had to work for a certain period of time before they could access housing benefit.
“It is right that people who are in areas where there is a real acute challenge with housing know that housing should go to people who are already born and raised in certain communities because if they believe people are coming in, it can damage the fabric of that community,” he said.
“But let’s just be clear about what the real challenge is here – we’re not building enough houses.
“With a Labour government, if we get one in the election this year, we will build a million houses every year, because we need to make sure we get back to the fact that we are backing the builders and not always being dragged back by the blockers in the Conservative Party.”
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The policy, which was announced last night, could also see terrorists with certain convictions blocked from living in social homes while new social tenants on high incomes may also no longer qualify.
The salary threshold is yet to be determined, so existing tenants would not be affected.
The government has said it wants to bring in the reforms “as soon as possible” but is now carrying out an eight-week consultation that will run until 26 March.
It has suggested some of the measures may be implemented by secondary legislation which would mean they do not require a vote in parliament.
Ex-Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry has defected to Reform, in the latest blow to the Conservatives.
The former MP for Rossendale and Darwen, who served as Northern Powerhouse minister under Boris Johnson and lost his seat last year, said he had defected to Nigel Farage’s party because the Tories had “lost their way”.
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Reform UK confirmed the defection to Sky News, which was first broken by The Sun.
Speaking to the paper, Sir Jake said Mr Farage’s party was the “last chance to pull Britain back from terminal decline”.
“Our streets are completely lawless,” he said.
“Migration is out of control. Taxes are going through the roof.
“And day after day, I hear from people in my community and beyond who say the same thing: ‘This isn’t the Britain I grew up in’.”
Sir Jake accused his former party of “abandoning the British people” but said he was not “giving up”.
“I’m staying. And I’m fighting.
“Fighting for the Britain I want my kids, and one day, my grandkids, to grow up in.”
Mr Farage welcomed what he said was “a very brave decision” by Sir Jake.
“His admission that the Conservative government he was part of broke the country is unprecedented and principled,” he added.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Reform support increasing the benefits bill by removing the two-child cap, and nationalising British industry. By contrast the Conservatives, under new leadership, will keep making the case for sound money, lower taxes and bringing the welfare bill under control.
“We wish Jake well in his new high spend, high tax party.”
Sir Jake’s defection to Reform comes just days after former Conservative cabinet minister David Jones joined Reform UK, which continues to lead in the polls.
Former Welsh secretary David Jones (R) alongside Tory MP Mark Francois. Pic: PA
Mr Jones, who was MP for Clwyd West from 2005 until standing down in 2024, said he had quit the Tories after “more than 50 years of continuous membership”.
Sir Jake was the MP Rossendale and Darwen in Lancashire between 2010 and 2024, when he was defeated by Labour’s Andy MacNae.
He held several ministerial posts including in the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Energy and Climate Change and the Cabinet Office.
Nigel Farage after winning the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.
Pic: Reuters
He was also chairman of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022, under Liz Truss.
Announcing his defection – which comes a year after the Tories suffered their worst ever election defeat – Sir Jake said “Britain was broken” and “the Conservative governments I was part of share the blame”.
“We now have a tax system that punishes hard work and ambition,” he said.
“Just this week, we saw record numbers of our brightest and best people leaving Britain because they can’t see a future here. At the same time, our benefits system is pulling in the world’s poor with no plan for integration and no control over who comes in.
“If you were deliberately trying to wreck the country, you’d be hard-pressed to do a better job than the last two decades of Labour and Tory rule.
“Millions of people, just like me, want a country they can be proud of again. The only way we get that is with Reform in government. That’s why I’ve resigned from the Conservative Party. I’m now backing Reform UK and working to make them the next party of government.”
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He added: “And with Nigel Farage leading Reform, we’ve got someone the country can actually trust. He doesn’t change his views to fit the mood of the day. And people respect that. So do I. That’s why I believe he should be our next prime minister.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Not content with taking advice from Liz Truss, Nigel Farage has now tempted her Tory Party chairman into his ranks.
“It’s clear Farage wants Liz Truss’s reckless economics, which crashed our economy and sent mortgages spiralling, to be Reform’s blueprint for Britain. It’s a recipe for disaster and working people would be left paying the price.”
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