The Newshound

Migrant households claimed a record £11.9bn in Universal Credit in 2025, with £7.7bn going to jobless claimants

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.

Universal credit paid to households containing at least one foreign national reached £11.9bn in 2025, with nearly two-thirds of that sum flowing to jobless claimants.
Universal credit paid to households containing at least one foreign national reached £11.9bn in 2025, with nearly two-thirds of that sum flowing to jobless claimants.
Migrants on an inflatable dinghy in the English Channel, as new DWP figures show the £11.9bn Universal Credit total excludes billions more spent housing asylum seekers in hotels.
Migrants on an inflatable dinghy in the English Channel, as new DWP figures show the £11.9bn Universal Credit total excludes billions more spent housing asylum seekers in hotels.

Households with at least one foreign national received £11.9 billion in Universal Credit during 2025 — one in six of all payments — a rise of more than 25 per cent on the £9.5 billion paid out the previous year. The figures, obtained by the Centre for Migration Control from Department for Work and Pensions data, show £7.7 billion went to claimants who were not in work. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called them "shocking", saying paying unemployed foreigners is "an insult to hard-working taxpayers". Over £33 billion has been spent on Universal Credit for migrant households since March 2022, on top of £18.4 billion on the asylum system over the same period.

Reform's Robert Jenrick warned that if Andy Burnham abandons plans to extend the ILR waiting period, the 'Boris wave' will cost taxpayers tens of billions more.

Shadow Financial Secretary Gareth Davies warned the welfare budget is "spiralling out of control" and forecast to hit £400 billion by the end of this Parliament.

The Centre for Migration Control's Rob Bates said the figures "make a mockery" of claims that mass legal migration has been a boon for Britain's economy.

Morebreitbart.comMigrant Households Receiving Record Amount of UK Welfare PaymentsGB NewsYour cash is supporting jobless migrants that only British people should have access to - Rob BatesAOL News UKOutrage as migrant households receive record £12bn in Universal Credit - 'shocking!'GB NewsLabour accused of spiralling welfare 'out of control' as foreign nationals handed millions in Universal Credit
Read today's full feed at The Newshound →