Reform UK may take the government to court over housing migrants in Reform-controlled council areas. Party chairman Zia Yusuf told viewers that “legal action is on the table” as part of their pledge to resist these placements.
Reform UK surged in the recent local elections, gaining more than 600 seats and control of 10 local authorities. Despite limited local power compared to Westminster, Yusuf promised that Reform councillors would push back forcefully. “The levers of power at the local level pale compared to Westminster,” he admitted. Still, legal action is on the table, he stressed.
Yusuf explained that Reform will explore judicial reviews, injunctions, and legal challenges on planning and budget grounds. He claimed many hotels converted into asylum housing now violate several local regulations. Reform’s legal teams are currently reviewing those possibilities.
When asked about Dame Andrea Jenkyns’ controversial suggestion to house migrants in tents, Yusuf pointed to France’s example. He also revealed that Reform will soon publish a detailed deportation plan. “We will publish that plan in the coming weeks,” Yusuf said confidently.
Legal experts note that local authorities have limited formal control over asylum housing. The Home Office contracts directly with accommodation providers. Still, legal action is on the table, and Reform seems determined to test its local influence.
This situation echoes past efforts. In 2021, Coventry City Council and six other local authorities launched a legal challenge against the government’s asylum dispersal policy. That judicial review was withdrawn after the Home Office promised a fairer system.
Currently, nearly 40,000 migrants remain housed in hotels across England. The government insists it aims to end the costly hotel system over time.
Yusuf also pledged that Reform councillors will cut wasteful spending, particularly on diversity and inclusion initiatives. He argued that councils like Lincolnshire spend significant sums on DEI programs. Reform plans to send task forces to review and alter these contracts.
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch acknowledged Reform’s strong election gains. However, she warned that Nigel Farage lacks governing experience. Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting also called Reform a “serious opposition force” and urged more scrutiny of their policies.
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