As Suella Braverman faces backlash from her own party over homeless 'lifestyle choice' comments, how big a problem is rough sleeping?
Ellen Manning
Updated Sun, 5 November 2023
Suella Braverman is under fire after suggesting that sleeping in tents on Britain's streets is a 'lifestyle choice'.
What did Braverman say?
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the home secretary shared an article from the Financial Times that suggested that the King's Speech could include plans to establish a civil offence that would see charities fined for giving tents to homeless people.
She wrote: "The British people are compassionate. We will always support those who are genuinely homeless.
"But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.
"Unless we step in now to stop this, British cities will go the way of places in the US like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where weak policies have led to an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor.
"Nobody in Britain should be living in a tent on our streets.
"There are options for people who don't want to be sleeping rough, and the government is working with local authorities to strengthen wraparound support including treatment for those with drug and alcohol addiction.
"What I want to stop, and what the law-abiding majority wants us to stop, is those who cause nuisance and distress to other people by pitching tents in public spaces, aggressively begging, stealing, taking drugs, littering, and blighting our communities."
How many rough sleepers are there in the UK?
According to government figures released in February, the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in England in autumn 2022 was 3,069.
That was an increase of 626 people (26%) from 2021 and an increase of 1,301 people (74%) since 2010 when the 'snapshot' approach was first introduced, but marked a decrease of 1,682 people (35%) since 2017, the government said.
The figures suggested that while rough sleeping increased in every region of England compared to the previous year, increases were driven by a small number of areas – with over half the increase driven by 15 areas (5% of all areas).
The largest increase in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough was in London, where there were 858 people in the latest figures compared to 640 people the year before. The figures suggested that nearly half (47%) of all people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn were in London and the south-east.
They also showed that most people sleeping rough in England are male, aged over 26 years old and from the UK.
A rough sleeping snapshot for autumn 2023 is expected to be published in February 2024.
Government figures on the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in England since 2010. (Gov.uk)
What constitutes 'rough sleeping'?
Homelessness charity Crisis says rough sleeping is "one of the most visible types of homelessness".
It says: "Rough sleeping includes sleeping outside or in places that aren't designed for people to live in, including cars, doorways and abandoned buildings."
The government's website includes the following definitions:
People sleeping rough are defined as follows: People sleeping, about to bed down or bedded down in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments). People in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or 'bashes' which are makeshift shelters, often comprised of cardboard boxes). The definition does not include people in hostels or shelters, people in campsites or other sites used for recreational purposes or organised protest, squatters or travellers.
Bedded down is taken to mean either lying down or sleeping.
About to bed down includes those who are sitting in/on or near a sleeping bag or other bedding.
What powers do authorities have to move rough sleepers on?
A Commons research briefing on enforcement powers relating to rough sleepers says: "Rough sleeping is often associated with nuisance activities such as begging, street drinking and anti-social behaviour."
It says the police and local authorities have a range of powers to tackle such activities, but points out that homelessness organisations are concerned that the use of such powers "criminalises rough sleeping and does not address the root cause of the problem".
According to the document, rough sleeping is a criminal offence under section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 (as amended), subject to certain conditions. There is also an offence for "being in enclosed premises for an unlawful purpose", which is used, for example, when dealing with people suspected of burglary.
The number of prosecutions and convictions under section 4 of the 1824 act has declined in recent years. In 2019, there were 183 prosecutions and 140 convictions, with only 4 convictions being for the specific offence of 'sleeping out'.
There are various criminal and civil powers available for authorities to use around rough sleeping.
What does the government want to do about rough sleeping?
The government published its Ending Rough Sleeping For Good strategy in September 2022 in which it re-stated its 2019 manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of this parliament.
But in September this year, the Kerslake Commission, a panel of 36 experts, said the government was not on target to meet its goal.
The government's Antisocial Behaviour Action Plan, announced in March, included proposals to provide police and councils with fresh powers to "address rough sleeping and other street activity where it is causing a public nuisance".
The plan said officers should be able to "clear the debris, tents and paraphernalia that can blight an area, while ensuring those genuinely homeless and with complex needs are directed to appropriate support".
A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We want to ensure our communities feel safe and secure.
"That's why, through our Anti-Social Behaviour Plan, we introduced a package of new measures to better equip the police and local authorities to respond to nuisance begging and rough sleeping, which can be harmful to individuals themselves and to the wider public."
Recommended reading
Suella Braverman sparks Tory civil war over plan to stop rough sleepers getting tents (HuffPost UK)
Plea for help combating London's rough sleeping problem before winter (This Is Local London)
Government will fail to end rough sleeping by deadline, says expert group (PA Media)
Ellen Manning
Updated Sun, 5 November 2023
Suella Braverman is under fire after suggesting that sleeping in tents on Britain's streets is a 'lifestyle choice'.
(Getty Images) (DANIEL LEAL via Getty Images)
Suella Braverman is facing an ongoing backlash following her suggestion that pitching tents on Britain's streets is a "lifestyle choice" as she reportedly plans to crack down on rough sleepers.
The government has previously pledged to end rough sleeping by the next general election but is not on target to meet its goal, with the number of rough sleepers increasing for the first time in four years in autumn 2022.
Civil and criminal powers are currently in place for police and local authorities to use but the home secretary is reportedly planning to introduce legislation that would see charities fined for giving tents to rough sleepers.
Braverman's plans, and comments in which she suggested British streets could be "taken over by rows of tents", have sparked widespread criticism – including from her own party, with the Tory Reform Group calling her remarks "ill thought out policies which divide".
The Liberal Democrats said it was "grim politics" to "criminalise homeless charities", while housing charity Shelter said: "Living on the streets is not a 'lifestyle choice' – it is a sign of failed government policy."
Yahoo News UK breaks down everything you need to know about rough sleeping in the UK.
Suella Braverman is facing an ongoing backlash following her suggestion that pitching tents on Britain's streets is a "lifestyle choice" as she reportedly plans to crack down on rough sleepers.
The government has previously pledged to end rough sleeping by the next general election but is not on target to meet its goal, with the number of rough sleepers increasing for the first time in four years in autumn 2022.
Civil and criminal powers are currently in place for police and local authorities to use but the home secretary is reportedly planning to introduce legislation that would see charities fined for giving tents to rough sleepers.
Braverman's plans, and comments in which she suggested British streets could be "taken over by rows of tents", have sparked widespread criticism – including from her own party, with the Tory Reform Group calling her remarks "ill thought out policies which divide".
The Liberal Democrats said it was "grim politics" to "criminalise homeless charities", while housing charity Shelter said: "Living on the streets is not a 'lifestyle choice' – it is a sign of failed government policy."
Yahoo News UK breaks down everything you need to know about rough sleeping in the UK.
What did Braverman say?
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the home secretary shared an article from the Financial Times that suggested that the King's Speech could include plans to establish a civil offence that would see charities fined for giving tents to homeless people.
She wrote: "The British people are compassionate. We will always support those who are genuinely homeless.
"But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.
"Unless we step in now to stop this, British cities will go the way of places in the US like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where weak policies have led to an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor.
"Nobody in Britain should be living in a tent on our streets.
"There are options for people who don't want to be sleeping rough, and the government is working with local authorities to strengthen wraparound support including treatment for those with drug and alcohol addiction.
"What I want to stop, and what the law-abiding majority wants us to stop, is those who cause nuisance and distress to other people by pitching tents in public spaces, aggressively begging, stealing, taking drugs, littering, and blighting our communities."
How many rough sleepers are there in the UK?
According to government figures released in February, the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in England in autumn 2022 was 3,069.
That was an increase of 626 people (26%) from 2021 and an increase of 1,301 people (74%) since 2010 when the 'snapshot' approach was first introduced, but marked a decrease of 1,682 people (35%) since 2017, the government said.
The figures suggested that while rough sleeping increased in every region of England compared to the previous year, increases were driven by a small number of areas – with over half the increase driven by 15 areas (5% of all areas).
The largest increase in the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough was in London, where there were 858 people in the latest figures compared to 640 people the year before. The figures suggested that nearly half (47%) of all people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn were in London and the south-east.
They also showed that most people sleeping rough in England are male, aged over 26 years old and from the UK.
A rough sleeping snapshot for autumn 2023 is expected to be published in February 2024.
Government figures on the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn in England since 2010. (Gov.uk)
What constitutes 'rough sleeping'?
Homelessness charity Crisis says rough sleeping is "one of the most visible types of homelessness".
It says: "Rough sleeping includes sleeping outside or in places that aren't designed for people to live in, including cars, doorways and abandoned buildings."
The government's website includes the following definitions:
People sleeping rough are defined as follows: People sleeping, about to bed down or bedded down in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments). People in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or 'bashes' which are makeshift shelters, often comprised of cardboard boxes). The definition does not include people in hostels or shelters, people in campsites or other sites used for recreational purposes or organised protest, squatters or travellers.
Bedded down is taken to mean either lying down or sleeping.
About to bed down includes those who are sitting in/on or near a sleeping bag or other bedding.
What powers do authorities have to move rough sleepers on?
A Commons research briefing on enforcement powers relating to rough sleepers says: "Rough sleeping is often associated with nuisance activities such as begging, street drinking and anti-social behaviour."
It says the police and local authorities have a range of powers to tackle such activities, but points out that homelessness organisations are concerned that the use of such powers "criminalises rough sleeping and does not address the root cause of the problem".
According to the document, rough sleeping is a criminal offence under section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 (as amended), subject to certain conditions. There is also an offence for "being in enclosed premises for an unlawful purpose", which is used, for example, when dealing with people suspected of burglary.
The number of prosecutions and convictions under section 4 of the 1824 act has declined in recent years. In 2019, there were 183 prosecutions and 140 convictions, with only 4 convictions being for the specific offence of 'sleeping out'.
There are various criminal and civil powers available for authorities to use around rough sleeping.
(Jenny Matthews via Getty Images)
Begging is also a criminal offence under section 3 of the act. In 2019, there were 926 prosecutions and 742 convictions for begging.
The document added that although the number of prosecutions and convictions under the act has declined, homelessness organisations have pointed out that the it is often used informally, to move individuals on or challenge behaviour without formally cautioning or arresting them.
Public bodies can also use powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle anti-social behaviour, including civil injunctions, criminal behaviour orders, community protection notices, dispersal powers and public spaces protection orders.
But in 2017 the Home Office revised guidance for frontline professionals on the effective use of anti-social behaviour powers to make it clear that Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) should not be used to target people based solely on the fact that they are homeless or rough sleeping.
Begging is also a criminal offence under section 3 of the act. In 2019, there were 926 prosecutions and 742 convictions for begging.
The document added that although the number of prosecutions and convictions under the act has declined, homelessness organisations have pointed out that the it is often used informally, to move individuals on or challenge behaviour without formally cautioning or arresting them.
Public bodies can also use powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle anti-social behaviour, including civil injunctions, criminal behaviour orders, community protection notices, dispersal powers and public spaces protection orders.
But in 2017 the Home Office revised guidance for frontline professionals on the effective use of anti-social behaviour powers to make it clear that Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) should not be used to target people based solely on the fact that they are homeless or rough sleeping.
What does the government want to do about rough sleeping?
The government published its Ending Rough Sleeping For Good strategy in September 2022 in which it re-stated its 2019 manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of this parliament.
But in September this year, the Kerslake Commission, a panel of 36 experts, said the government was not on target to meet its goal.
The government's Antisocial Behaviour Action Plan, announced in March, included proposals to provide police and councils with fresh powers to "address rough sleeping and other street activity where it is causing a public nuisance".
The plan said officers should be able to "clear the debris, tents and paraphernalia that can blight an area, while ensuring those genuinely homeless and with complex needs are directed to appropriate support".
A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We want to ensure our communities feel safe and secure.
"That's why, through our Anti-Social Behaviour Plan, we introduced a package of new measures to better equip the police and local authorities to respond to nuisance begging and rough sleeping, which can be harmful to individuals themselves and to the wider public."
Recommended reading
Suella Braverman sparks Tory civil war over plan to stop rough sleepers getting tents (HuffPost UK)
Plea for help combating London's rough sleeping problem before winter (This Is Local London)
Government will fail to end rough sleeping by deadline, says expert group (PA Media)
Kate Devlin
Sat, 4 November 2023
Suella Braverman has prompted outrage after she vowed a crackdown on tents used by the homeless and described rough sleeping as a “lifestyle choice”.
The home secretary claimed streets risked being “taken over” and that without action British cities would see “an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor”.
She added that many of those living in tents were “from abroad”. Those who were genuinely homeless would always be supported, she said.
But in a raft of criticism over her remarks, she was accused of “disgraceful” politics and of blaming the most vulnerable for her government’s failings.
Even former Tory MPs condemned her push to fine charities who give tents to the homeless – part of proposals pitched to be included in the King’s Speech on Tuesday.
Ex-Tory MP Ben Howlett said such a move would be “actually evil” and “not a single MP with any shred of decency” could support it.
Charities have criticised Braverman’s claims that living on the streets is a ‘lifestyle choice’ (PA)
It comes as Ms Braverman, who is currently on a visit to the Greek island of Samos, said:
If anyone were to vandalise the Cenotaph during pro-Palestine marches on Armistice Day “they must be put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground”
she again referred to the protests as “hate marches”, despite a furious row over the phrase that has even included Gary Lineker
When asked about restricting homeless people from using tents, said “it cannot be right that parts of our cities are ruined and blighted by the sights and the use of tents”
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused Ms Braverman of picking “a fight over tents” as Labour said ministers were “blaming homeless people rather than themselves” after rough sleeping rose dramatically since 2010. Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael denounced it as “grim politics from a desperate Conservative government which knows its day are numbered”.
And homelessness charity Shelter said: “Let’s make it clear: living on the streets is not a ‘lifestyle choice’ – it is a sign of failed government policy. No one should be punished for being homeless. Criminalising people for sleeping in tents, and making it an offence for charities to help them, is unacceptable.”
In her statement on the issue, written on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Braverman said that “nobody in Britain should be living in a tent” and that the government was working to help the homeless, including through treatment for those with drug and alcohol addiction.
She said she wanted to stop those who cause nuisance and distress to other people. She added: “We will always support those who are genuinely homeless. But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice.”
Shelter estimated earlier this year that at least 271,000 people are recorded as homeless in England, including 123,000 children.
The last Conservative manifesto pledged to end rough sleeping before the next election, due by January 2025. But in September, the government was warned by the Kerslake Commission, a panel of 36 experts, that it was not on target to meet that goal.
Instead, figures published earlier this year show the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough in England had risen for the first time since 2017.
A snapshot of a single night in autumn last year found 3,069 people sleeping rough, up 626 (26 per cent) on the equivalent total for the previous year and nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) higher than in 2010 when the figures began.
The British Red Cross has also warned that since August they have seen a 140 per cent increase in the number of people with refugee status becoming destitute. They said they were having to hand out sleeping bags and tents to people who are facing life on the streets.
A report has warned the deadline for ending rough sleeping by the end of this parliament will not be met (PA Archive)
Matt Downie, the chief executive of the charity Crisis, said new laws to crack down on the use of tents would do little to tackle rough sleeping but risked pushing people further into destitution.
“Ending rough sleeping is absolutely possible but it requires government to step up and make the changes needed that will actually achieve it, including investing in housing benefit so people can afford their rent. Stripping people of their only protection is not the answer,” he said.
Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy said: “Even by this government’s standards, this is disgraceful. Imagine looking at the housing and homelessness crisis you’ve presided over and thinking, ‘let’s take away their tents’.”
Ms Braverman’s statement was posted alongside a link to reports she is pitching for a new civil offence to be included in the King’s Speech on Tuesday that could see charities fined if they give tents to rough sleepers, who then go on to cause a public nuisance.
The Home Office said it would not comment on what might feature in the King’s Speech. But officials pointed to the Antisocial Behaviour Action Plan announced in March, which included proposals to provide police and councils with fresh powers to “address rough sleeping and other street activity where it is causing a public nuisance”.
The plan said officers should be able to “clear the debris, tents and paraphernalia that can blight an area, while ensuring those genuinely homeless and with complex needs are directed to appropriate support”.
Does Suella Braverman relish her position as the most controversial minister in the cabinet?
Sky News
Updated Sat, 4 November 2023
For Suella Braverman, there is no such thing as a quiet trip abroad.
Once again her language is attracting attention, her words heard well beyond the shores of Samos in Greece.
On a trip to talk about immigration, the questions following her are about pro-Palestinian protests and her claim homeless people pitching tents are making a "lifestyle choice".
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, she said she has a "thick skin" when it comes to criticism.
Her language is characteristically provocative. She warned anyone vandalising the Cenotaph on Armistice Day "must be put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground" - and says cities can't be "ruined and blighted" by homeless people's tents.
Criticism will follow - Labour say she is "overseas to distract" - but Mrs Braverman is appealing to a specific chunk of the electorate and of her party.
She knows the next Conservative leadership race is likely to be fought on the right.
But as home secretary, Mrs Braverman will be judged above all by the government's pledge to "Stop the Boats".
The number of small boat crossings in the UK - 27,000 so far this year - is lower than it was in 2022, but a long way from the few hundred recorded five years ago when the government declared the number of crossings a "major incident". She certainly cannot claim to have stopped the boats.
Mrs Braverman said she is "not claiming success yet" but refused to set a target for where the number of crossings should be by the next election. "It will be obvious" if the government has succeeded, she added.
She believes the UK can "learn" from Greek deterrence methods on immigration.
The Greeks have gone from nearly a million small boat crossings in 2015 to 12,700 last year - a lower number than in the UK.
But Greece has also been accused of controversial "pushback" tactics at sea - and charities say they have evidence of strip searches and beatings at the Greek border.
Suella Braverman insists pushbacks are not the UK approach, but "tough" deterrents must be looked at.
Numbers in Greece have also fallen because of a returns deal with Turkey - and so far, the UK has had little success in securing an effective returns deal with France.
Over the last few days, we have seen Suella Braverman as she would like to be portrayed: out on a border patrol with Hellenic coastguard, walking along a 75-mile (120km) steel fence at the land border between Greece and Turkey.
A home secretary talking tough on immigration on the world stage.
The images of Suella Braverman sitting in the captain's chair aboard a patrol cutter felt reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher's famous appearance on the Challenger Tank (or Liz Truss' later re-enactment).
I asked her if she relishes her position as the most controversial cabinet minister. She said: "Personal attacks will always come with the territory."
But Brand Braverman is provocative to say the least. The home secretary may be here to talk about immigration, but her ambition stretches well beyond stopping the boats.
Sky News
Updated Sat, 4 November 2023
For Suella Braverman, there is no such thing as a quiet trip abroad.
Once again her language is attracting attention, her words heard well beyond the shores of Samos in Greece.
On a trip to talk about immigration, the questions following her are about pro-Palestinian protests and her claim homeless people pitching tents are making a "lifestyle choice".
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, she said she has a "thick skin" when it comes to criticism.
Her language is characteristically provocative. She warned anyone vandalising the Cenotaph on Armistice Day "must be put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground" - and says cities can't be "ruined and blighted" by homeless people's tents.
Criticism will follow - Labour say she is "overseas to distract" - but Mrs Braverman is appealing to a specific chunk of the electorate and of her party.
She knows the next Conservative leadership race is likely to be fought on the right.
But as home secretary, Mrs Braverman will be judged above all by the government's pledge to "Stop the Boats".
The number of small boat crossings in the UK - 27,000 so far this year - is lower than it was in 2022, but a long way from the few hundred recorded five years ago when the government declared the number of crossings a "major incident". She certainly cannot claim to have stopped the boats.
Mrs Braverman said she is "not claiming success yet" but refused to set a target for where the number of crossings should be by the next election. "It will be obvious" if the government has succeeded, she added.
She believes the UK can "learn" from Greek deterrence methods on immigration.
The Greeks have gone from nearly a million small boat crossings in 2015 to 12,700 last year - a lower number than in the UK.
But Greece has also been accused of controversial "pushback" tactics at sea - and charities say they have evidence of strip searches and beatings at the Greek border.
Suella Braverman insists pushbacks are not the UK approach, but "tough" deterrents must be looked at.
Numbers in Greece have also fallen because of a returns deal with Turkey - and so far, the UK has had little success in securing an effective returns deal with France.
Over the last few days, we have seen Suella Braverman as she would like to be portrayed: out on a border patrol with Hellenic coastguard, walking along a 75-mile (120km) steel fence at the land border between Greece and Turkey.
A home secretary talking tough on immigration on the world stage.
The images of Suella Braverman sitting in the captain's chair aboard a patrol cutter felt reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher's famous appearance on the Challenger Tank (or Liz Truss' later re-enactment).
I asked her if she relishes her position as the most controversial cabinet minister. She said: "Personal attacks will always come with the territory."
But Brand Braverman is provocative to say the least. The home secretary may be here to talk about immigration, but her ambition stretches well beyond stopping the boats.
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