Nigel Farage has proposed banning foreign nationals from social housing and deporting them if they cannot find private accommodation, in a move to harden anti-immigration rhetoric ahead of the Makerfield byelection. His comments come amid internal party struggles and polling data suggesting Reform UK is losing support to a rival far-right party.
Nigel Farage's hardline immigration proposals and rhetoric ahead of a key byelection highlight the ongoing political debate around immigration and national identity in the UK. The internal competition with Restore Britain underscores the fragmentation and ideological positioning within the right-wing political landscape.
Nigel Farage has intensified his anti-immigration stance ahead of the Makerfield byelection, proposing to ban foreign nationals from social housing and deport those unable to secure private accommodation. In a 6,800-word essay published on his new Substack, Farage argued that "white Brits" will become a minority by the end of the century due to "mass migration policies" and that "anti-whiteness is institutionalised into every aspect of public life."
Farage vowed that "veterans and long-term local residents will be preferenced for social housing." He also outlined plans to "cap the recruitment of foreign doctors" to prioritize British patients and to abolish the Equality Act, restoring "meritocracy" so that factors like skin color or sex do not influence job prospects.
These pronouncements come as two recent polls suggest Reform UK is losing crucial support to its rival, Restore Britain, led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe. One poll showed Labour's Andy Burnham leading with 45%, Reform UK at 40%, and Restore Britain at 8%. Another indicated Burnham further ahead at 49%, with Reform UK at 37% and Restore Britain at 5%.
Farage's intervention aims to counter the threat of a split right-wing vote. The Mail on Sunday reported that Restore Britain activists attended a recent neo-Nazi summit. Lowe dismissed the report, stating it indicated Restore's growing success. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticized Farage's comments, calling them "nasty hate and anger and division."