The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been urged to stop paying Universal Credit to nearly 1.5 million migrants, as government figures reveal that almost one in six claimants is not a British citizen.
Rising numbers of non-British claimants
Labour Party government data and DWP statistics show that 1.5 million migrants on Universal Credit accounted for 15.6 per cent of the total 9.6 million people who received the benefit during the 12 months to December 2025. This represents an increase of 200,000 from the 1.3 million recorded at the end of 2025.
Conservative response
Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, said: "The Conservatives would ban all benefits claims by immigrants, except EU citizens with permanent settlement here. This ban would apply to all immigrants who are not British citizens." He added: "Foreigners who come here should make a contribution and not take benefits funded by hard-working taxpayers. It is simply unfair and immoral if someone can enter the UK and claim benefits before becoming a citizen."
Urging the DWP to scrap the payments, Philp stated: "Taxpayers who get up early and work hard all day should not be funding benefits for immigrants. Labour’s benefits bonanza has to end."
Expert warning
Robert Bates, research director at CMC, commented: "Last year, taxpayers of this country were required to support 1.5 million economically dependent foreign individuals. This country is becoming the food bank of the world at a time when British people are seeing a decline in their quality of life. Unless the Home Secretary acts decisively to stop the ‘Boriswave’, this dire situation will descend into a full-blown fiscal crisis."
Labour's proposed reforms
Labour is proposing to double the time before migrants are entitled to claim Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) from five to 10 years, and to make it conditional on earning a wage, speaking English to a high standard, and contributing to society.
A Government spokesman said: "The proportion of Universal Credit claimants who are foreign nationals has fallen in the past year, and we will double the time that migrants must live in the country before they qualify for any public funds. These reforms will ensure those who seek to live here permanently contribute to our country first, paying in more than they take out."
