REFORM UK’s £50 billion proposed cuts to benefits would punish those who need them the most, campaigners warned today.

The party promised to ban foreign nationals from claiming almost all kinds of benefits in Britain if it got into power.

It claimed the current situation is “immoral” and that the measure would save £21bn annually by the fifth year of the scheme.

The party had previously pledged to ban foreign nationals from claiming universal credit, but the new proposals cover almost all welfare payments including housing benefit, pension credit, jobseeker’s allowance, child benefit, free childcare and disability benefits.

Its Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick had already set out proposals to transform sickness and disability benefits to supposedly save £22bn, under which long-term benefits claimants will be made to clean up their local high street or face being stripped of support.

Amnesty International UK’s Jen Clark said that the minority of settled migrants who “claim social security do so on the same basis as other taxpayers.”

“Stripping their benefits isn’t fairness, it’s scapegoating — and it’s built on the same premise: that some people’s rights matter less than others,” she said.

“That premise is wrong, and it’s not just wrong, it’s a breach of the UK’s human rights commitments. The right to an adequate standard of living isn’t a policy choice, it’s a legal obligation — and Reform’s plans would put the UK in breach of it.

“You don’t fix a welfare system by punishing the people who need it most.”

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Whether it’s people seeking asylum, disabled people or anyone else, Reform always has someone to demonise and scapegoat.

“Instead of proposing any measure to make this country better, they just give you someone to blame.

“PCS proudly represents many workers who claim Personal Independence Payments which enable them to work. Cutting that benefit risks kicking disabled people out of the workplace.

“And we proudly represent many foreign-born workers who contribute to our society and deserve the safety net of benefits if they are laid off.”

Labour said the “vast majority” of migrants had no access to benefits and the government was already reforming the welfare system.

Meanwhile, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice today urged people concerned about global warming to stop being “doom and gloom,” and instead enjoy it, adding: “If it means that English wine and sparkling wine gets better and better, fantastic.”

In July, the Met Office said that 2,700 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales.

Greenpeace UK’s Amy Cameron said his words “show that a party bankrolled by fossil-fuel interests will keep denying the climate crisis for its funders’ benefit even when its impacts are undeniable.”

“Reform should try telling nurses fainting on shifts, farmers losing their crops and people running from burning homes to enjoy the hot weather and see what reaction they’ll get,” she said.