Record 1.3m foreign migrants claiming UK benefits as Reform vows total ban on handouts

A RECORD 1.3million migrants are claiming benefits in the UK, according to government figures. Reform UK has recently vowed a total ban on the handouts for foreign nationals, who account for over a third of Universal Credit (UC) claims. Foreign nationals account for over a third of Universal Credit (UC) claims Credit: Getty Reform UK has recently proposed a major shake-up of the welfare system Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Data released by the Department for Work and Pensioners revealed almost 1.3 million migrants were claiming UC in May 2026. The staggering figure is up 20,000 from the previous year, with EU citizens making up half of the total foreign claimants. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Asylum seekers who have been granted refugee status and migrants with indefinite leave to remain or settled status are eligible for the handouts. But Reform UK has recently proposed a major shake-up of the welfare system, which it slammed as “plain immoral”. Nigel Farage‘s party previously outlined its plans to stop foreign nationals claiming Universal Credit. And proposals also extend to housing benefit, pension credit, child benefit, jobseekers’ allowance, disability benefits and free childcare. Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said the changes could save the Treasury some £50billion a year. Mr Jenrick pointed to Britain’s soaring welfare bill, which is set to hit £407billion within the next four years. Most read in The Sun In a speech on Monday, he said: “Forcing British workers to pay for the benefits of foreigners is not just economically illiterate but plain immoral. “British taxpayers cannot afford to subsidise everyone on the planet, especially those who have not paid in. “The public have been crying out for this change for decades.” But the plans would mean renegotiating the Brexit deal with Brussels as the ban would also include EU citizens with settled status. Labour has blasted Reform’s plan, saying it would “plunge the UK back into years of Brexit negotiations”. A spokesman added it will “strip support from potentially millions of people who have lawfully lived, worked and paid taxes in Britain for years”. It comes as UC claimants across the UK skyrocketed again to a record high of 8.4million. The shocking figure is up 700,000 from the same time last year, despite Labour’s pledge to “get Brits working”. It means the number of claimants is now at the highest level it has been since the introduction of Universal Credit (UC) in 2013. But while the benefits caseload across the country has spiralled, the share of claimants in work has worryingly dropped. Just 3.1million claimants were in employment in April 2026, which is just over a third (37.7 per cent) of all people on UC. A year earlier, 3.2 million were employed, making up 41.9 per cent of the total figure. Meanwhile, those in the “no work requirements” category has increased to more than half (51 per cent). A DWP spokesperson said: “People who do not hold immigration status in the UK are unable to claim Universal Credit, and in the year to May, 84.5% of claimants were British or Irish nationals or had a right to abode. “Last November, we set out reforms to double the standard qualifying period to 10 years for most migrants, with shorter routes for those who contribute most to the UK. “These reforms will ensure the right to live here permanently is earned. It is right that we support people who have lived here, worked and contributed for years, and then require support.” 5 comments5