FOREIGN nationals would lose their right to social housing in Britain if the Tories return to power, the party announced on Friday in new “divisive” plans.

Under the proposals, about 230,000 homes would become available by removing foreign nationals’ entitlement to social housing, with affected tenants required to move out within six months.

Foreign nationals with settled status, refugee status, or specific humanitarian protections currently qualify for social housing, while asylum seekers are generally ineligible.

Any single person in social housing who is not a UK, Irish or EU citizen would lose their home, the Conservatives say, including those with children.

Anyone with EU settled status would be exempt, but couples where neither partner holds British, EU or settled status would lose their entitlement.

According to the English Housing Survey, an estimated 470,000 non-British and non-Irish citizens currently live in social housing – just 11.5 per cent of all social tenants.

The Tory shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said: “Making Britain your home should be earned by working, paying tax and integrating.

“It should not come with a free ride on the benefits system. Britain cannot be a cash machine for the world.”

The plans were condemned by the housing charity Shelter.

Chief executive Sarah Elliott said: “These divisive plans would brutally kick people out of their homes, including thousands of families and pensioners who have lived in them for decades.

“And let’s not forget that social tenants pay rent, which goes back to the public purse and into society.

“It is completely senseless to ruin people’s lives, drive up homelessness and put extreme pressure on councils.

“This policy does nothing to deliver new social homes, which is what we desperately need.”

The Royal College of Nursing also criticised the proposals, saying: “The worst thing in the world would be to cause serious housing worry for a workforce that keeps our services running, posing serious risk to patient care.

“Those advocating for them need to offer reassurances — and quickly — or explain why it is just that some of our most brilliant nursing staff may face housing insecurity.”

The Labour Party said: “This is an unserious, unworkable proposal, copied from Reform, that does nothing to tackle the housing crisis the Tories themselves created.”