Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has proposed banning foreign nationals from living in social housing, with existing tenants required to move into private rented accommodation within three months under the party’s plans.

The policy would apply retrospectively and affect people regardless of how long they have lived in the UK, according to Reform UK. The proposal forms part of the party’s wider pledge to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Writing in a lengthy essay published on Substack, Farage argued that social housing should be reserved for British citizens and outlined a series of wider immigration and housing policy proposals. He also claimed that “anti-white racism” is embedded within public institutions and criticised equality legislation, describing it as a form of “social cleansing”.

The proposals are likely to prompt debate across the housing sector, particularly over the implications for social landlords, local authorities and tenants currently living in social housing.

Farage also criticised existing equality legislation and claimed that successive governments had allowed what he described as “anti-white discrimination” to become embedded within public institutions.

The plans would have significant implications for both the social and private rented sectors. Social housing providers are already facing high levels of demand, with around 1.34 million households currently on waiting lists for a home. At the same time, any large-scale movement of tenants into the private rented sector could place further pressure on a market already grappling with limited supply and rising rents in many parts of the country.

Reform UK said the policy would also apply to EU citizens. The party has pledged to renegotiate aspects of post-Brexit agreements covering citizens’ rights where it believes current arrangements are not reciprocal between the UK and European Union member states.

A government spokesperson said: “Illegal migrants, asylum seekers and migrants on student or work visas are not eligible for social housing.”

“Nearly nine in 10 social homes go to UK nationals and most councils have tough local connections rules in place to ensure housing goes to people who need it most.

“These rules mean people must have a connection to the local area, such as a social care worker or a nurse at a local hospital, in order to even apply for social housing.”

Sarah Elliott, chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, suggested Reform’s proposal would lead to increasing homelessness and put pressure on councils.

She said “to remove people who are legally settled in this country from their homes is racist and morally wrong. This is another attempt to distract from the real cause of the housing emergency, which is the decades long failure to build enough genuinely affordable social homes”.