The Telegraph recently ran a headline:
"More than one million foreigners claiming benefits."
Sounds shocking, right?
But what does it actually mean?
Let’s have a look!
🧵1/13 (1/1)
"More than one million foreigners claiming benefits."
Sounds shocking, right?
But what does it actually mean?
Let’s have a look!
🧵1/13 (1/1)
Comments
They mean anyone who isn’t a British citizen—including people who’ve lived, worked, and paid taxes here for decades.
This includes:
✅ Those with settled status (EU)
✅ People with indefinite leave to remain
✅ Refugees
2/13
🔹 Live here legally for 5-10+ years
🔹 Pass a £50 ‘Life in the UK’ test
🔹 Take a ~£150 English test
No one is just rocking up and getting benefits the following week!
It takes years to qualify.
3/13
💰The UK spent £81B on Universal Credit (& legacy benefits) in 2023/24
💰Households with at least one foreign national received <10% of that
Given 17% of the population was born outside the UK, it’s not really that shocking
4/13
So if a British woman is married to a French man, their entire claim gets counted as "a household with a foreign national."
The stats don't tell the full story.
5/13
6/13
🛠️ Around 50% of non-UK Universal Credit claimants are in work—higher than the 37% rate for UK-born claimants.
This says more about low wages than immigration!
7/13
Imagine, most of these people have been paying for you claiming nothing .. Hmm Uh,, yep!.
So step down, smile if you can muster it, but shake their hands and go home and re-adjust to facts?
During that time I couldn't leave my abusive boss in fear of being deported.
Så du reklamerne fra Tysklands valg--- fjern de fremmede ...og du er helt alene..
:-)
I'd add one counter - recent inward migration (since 2020) has been excessive - only partly explained by Brexit & pandemic after-effects
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06077/