A civil war has broken out in Reform UK over a major disagreement on its flagship “mass deportation” policy for foreign nationals.
At a particularly sensitive time for Reform as it tries to win the Makerfield by-election against Labour Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, Zia Yusuf – the party’s home affairs spokesperson – has hit out at an interview the party’s treasury spokesperson, Robert Jenrick, gave to Sky News on Sunday.
Mr Jenrick, a former Tory immigration minister, insisted that foreign nationals living in social housing would not be deported.
But Mr Yusuf took to X with a link to Mr Jenrick’s interview, claiming his answer was “not Reform policy”.
Mr Jenrick had told Sky’s Sir Trevor Phillips that living in social housing was “not exclusively” a reason to deport foreign nationals, instead linking it to a person’s earnings.
Asked whether it is Reform policy to deport someone who is legally resident but lives in social housing, Mr Jenrick said: “In some cases, because what we're saying is that we're going to abolish ILR [indefinite leave to remain visa status] and make a much longer path to British citizenship... Our policy [is] you will have to keep applying. If you’ve got a job and if you meet the criteria and you can work your way to being a British citizen.”
But pressed on the same question, Mr Jenrick later admitted: “Well, not exclusively. If they fail to meet our criteria, because they’re not in work, or they’re not working in as many hours, not earning enough money, then they won’t be able to renew their work visa, because ILR [indefinite leave to remain] won’t exist, and they’ll be asked to leave.”
He added: “Under a Reform government, social housing will be purely for British citizens. So you’ll never be able to access social housing unless you’re a Brit.”
Hitting out at the comments on social media, Mr Yusuf said: “Robert’s answer is not Reform policy.
“As the person responsible for our deportation plan, I want to ensure people know where we stand: if a foreign national lives in social housing at taxpayer expense, they automatically fail our economic test and will be deported.”
This is not the first time that the two men have clashed, with Mr Yusuf previously being highly critical of Mr Jenrick’s record as immigration minister during Rishi Sunak’s government for failing to tackle legal and illegal immigration numbers.
The two are said to have had “made peace”, according to sources, since Mr Jenrick’s defection from the Tories.
Labour immigration minister Mike Tapp sought to capitalise on the spat between the pair, claiming it showed Reform UK politicians are “making it up as they go along”.
He posted to social media: “Reform don’t have a plan and while they squabble amongst themselves, the government is actually bringing down immigration.
“The Reform rag tag are in chaos, making it up as they go along.”
Mr Farage’s party has previously pledged to scrap settled status for all non-EU migrants, requiring those who have been granted indefinite leave to remain to reapply under much stricter rules – meaning tens of thousands of people who have legally settled in Britain could be at risk of deportation.
The party has promised to “end the scam of mass immigration and finally put British citizens first”, insisting that there will be “no recourse to benefits for foreign nationals”.
The party has also promised to implement a “five-year emergency programme to identify, detain, and deport illegal migrants in the UK” and pass the “Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill to ensure that anyone who enters the country illegally will be ineligible for asylum”.
The row comes just weeks after the party’s rhetoric around “mass immigration” was also criticised by Reform’s London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham in an interview with The Independent.
She warned that Reform UK’s language on migration was responsible for the party not making the gains it had hoped for in London at the local elections.
Ms Cunningham said: “When we talk about mass deportation, it’s illegal migrants and perhaps we have to be more clear about that because mass deportation does have some connotation, doesn’t it?
“I think the opposition parties [Labour and the Greens] have done very well in not arguing our substantive policy, but just labelling us as racist or divisive. That has landed, sadly.”
While Reform made sweeping gains across England (they were strong runners-up in Wales and joint second with Labour in Scotland), its expected gains in London largely failed to materialise.
Reform has been contacted for comment.
