❓WHAT HAPPENED: Nigel Farage’s Reform Party has exposed taxpayer-funded spending on fast food, entertainment, and other luxuries for illegal immigrants.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Reform Party, Kent County Council, and other municipal governments.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Findings from councils controlled by the Reform Party, published in 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Illegal migrants get a free life of leisure whilst British families struggle.” – Nigel Farage
🎯IMPACT: Findings expose lavish, questionable spending on migrants and underscore the rising costs of the asylum system.
Local spending audits led by Reform Party officials in the United Kingdom have sparked fresh debate over taxpayer-funded support for asylum seekers, with allegations that public money is being used to buy migrants fast food, streaming services, and leisure activities.
Nigel Farage’s Trump-inspired municipal government efficiency team, known as the DOGE unit, has flagged excessive and mismanaged spending by councils on services for migrants, particularly those who entered the country illegally. The team, inspired by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting initiative, claims it has already identified the equivalent of over $51.6 million in savings by cutting “green initiatives.”
According to figures published in the British press, over $152,220 has been spent by councils on fast food purchases for migrants, including orders from Domino’s, McDonald’s, and Pizza Express—sometimes funded through education budgets. In addition, more than $12,900 went toward Netflix and Disney+ subscriptions. Recreational trips were also recorded, including visits to safari parks, circuses, and minigolf venues.
Spending by Kent County Council stood out in particular: it reportedly paid $208,074 to Amazon, $90,372 to British retailer Argos, and $14,846 to electrical goods and technology retailer Currys, with the items said to be for use by asylum seekers. Reform’s DOGE head Zia Yusuf criticised the expenditures, saying, “It’s clear that those who came to the country illegally are enjoying better lifestyles than many of the taxpayers who fund all this.”
The Migration Watch UK think tank also weighed in, with Chairman Alp Mehmet stating the findings highlight “hidden costs of the uncontrolled asylum system.”
In response, Kent County Council defended its spending, noting that much of the money went toward supporting supposed unaccompanied minors and young asylum seekers who are legally entitled to care under British law. Furnishing their accommodation and providing basic entertainment is intended to support their mental wellbeing and development.
The figures released by Reform only cover councils under the party’s control since this year’s municipal elections, suggesting that national totals may be significantly higher. A recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) estimated that housing for asylum seekers alone cost taxpayers around $6.06 billion in 2023/24, with total spending on the asylum system reaching a record $6.94 billion that year.
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