Couples with children should be married, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice says

Reform UK’s deputy leader has said that couples with children should be married “in an ideal world” and that having “British-born children” should be encouraged.

In highly controversial remarks, Richard Tice said it would be “surely preferable” for children to have married parents, as he defended his party’s plan to prioritise married couples aged under-35 with children for social housing in new plans.

The proposal, which will see British-born workers put to the front of the social housing list, follows a previous pledge to remove foreign nationals from social housing, which the party claims will free up 540,000 homes.

Asked if the plans would mean a married British couple would get priority over a single British person, Mr Tice told Times Radio: “Yes, that is the preference. Well, because actually they’re doing the right thing. Families are a good thing. Having British children, British-born children is a good thing. We need to encourage that.

“And it’s a very natural, normal thing, has been over centuries, for people to get together, to get married, have children and contribute to their communities. And everything that we’re doing is focused solely on that.”

When pushed on the fact that single people may also have children, Mr Tice added: “They might. But in an ideal world, it is well known that married couples – children in married couples, for example – will do really well at school. And we want to encourage that.

“Of course, sometimes life doesn’t work out. We understand that. But as an objective, that is surely preferable.”

At a press conference on Monday, Mr Tice added that the policy would also see priority given to veterans and those in work.

However, homelessness charity Shelter said the plans could see families “trapped in awful temporary accommodation for years on end” and put those escaping domestic abuse at “serious risk of harm”.

“Designed to stoke division, these plans will only serve to disrupt the lives of thousands of families, tear communities apart, and put even more people at risk of homelessness,” chief executive Sarah Elliott said.

“Putting nationality and employment ahead of housing need, and moving away from a system designed to prioritise people who are homeless or at urgent risk of homelessness could leave even more families trapped in awful temporary accommodation for years on end.

“Not to mention putting those escaping domestic abuse and violence at serious risk of harm.”

A Labour spokesperson hit out at the plan, saying: “These unserious and unworkable plans are a desperate bid to shift headlines away from Reform’s sleaze, scandals and infighting.

“Access to social housing is already tightly controlled. Illegal migrants, asylum seekers and migrants on student or work visas are not eligible for social housing. This policy would go after long-term UK residents that have contributed to our country but are not British citizens, including NHS staff.

“It would leave more families at risk of homelessness and drive up use of temporary accommodation at the taxpayer’s expense. It would also mean renegotiations with the EU, resulting in years of wrangling.

“While Reform push gimmicks and division, Labour is doing the hard yards to build more homes and bring back hope across our country.”

In June, Mr Farage first outlined a policy proposal stating his party would evict all foreign nationals from social housing should they gain power.

He said that, under a Reform government, foreign nationals in social housing would be given a three-month grace period to relocate to private rented accommodation, or lose their right to remain in the country and be liable for deportation.