Nigel Farage issues 5-word takedown to Tories after controversial migrant poster

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has responded to a post on X by Zia Yusuf, the party's Head of DOGE. In the post, Yusuf shares an anti-migrant poster shared by the Conservative Party. It is a satirical campaign, with the headline "Asylum seeker? Here's your list of perks", listing in bullet points 17 "perks" the party claims asylum seekers enjoy. These include "housing and food provided directly by the state", "free cooking lessons", "discounts on theatre shows", "free mobile phone on arrival" or even "free PlayStation consoles and yoga sessions".

Tweeting the poster, Yusuf wrote: "Can't believe the Tories are so proud of their record in government they're still marketing it like this." Farage responded to the post, with the following five words to the Conservatives: "They should be in hiding."

The claims on the poster come from an article published by the Daily Mail, which lists various types of aid reportedly available to asylum seekers in Britain. For example, it states that asylum seekers receive a standard allowance of £49.18 per person per week to cover food and other essentials. This figure is also confirmed on the UK government website, which states:

"Yo'll be given somewhere to live if you need it. This could be in a flat, house, hostel or bed and breakfast.

"You cannot choose where you live. It's unlikely you'll get to live in London or south-east England.

"You'll usually get £49.18 for each person in your household. This will help you pay for things you need like food, clothing and toiletries."

In February, The Telegraph reported that asylum seekers have been given taxpayer-funded PlayStations, yoga classes and DJ lessons by councils for newcomers in hotels. For example, it revealed Croydon council has spent £317,224 on services other than housing and other essentials, including music sessions teaching DJ skills that reportedly cost £6,900.

The definition of an asylum seeker is someone who has left their home country because they fear persecution or serious harm, and is asking another country for protection, while still waiting for their claim to be decided.

Asylum seekers in the UK aren't allowed to work. For this reason, they receive basic accommodation and money for essentials to live in the country as their claim is still being processed. The Home Office may grant permission to work to those asylum seekers whose claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months through "no fault of their own".