A New Era for the Homeless: Rayner Pledges End to Criminalising Rough Sleeping

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A New Era for the Homeless: Rayner Pledges End to Criminalising Rough Sleeping

 

Rough sleeping will no longer be treated as a criminal offence in England, following Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s announcement that the Government will repeal the centuries-old Vagrancy Act. The move, expected to take effect by next spring, signals a significant shift in how the UK addresses homelessness, prioritising support over punishment.

 

 

The Vagrancy Act, originally enacted in 1824 in response to mass homelessness following the Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution, made it illegal to sleep rough or beg. While most of its provisions have already been repealed, certain clauses have remained in force, allowing police to move on homeless individuals or charge them with offences. Rayner declared the law “cruel and outdated” and said its full repeal would “draw a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society, who deserve dignity and support.”

 

 

“No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and by scrapping this cruel and outdated law, we are making sure that can never happen again,” Rayner said, underscoring the Government’s intention to replace criminalisation with meaningful intervention.

 

The change raises questions about how cities will respond to rising homelessness, including the potential for more visible encampments in urban centres. Recent examples include a group of 24 tents set up on Park Lane in London last September, directly across from a £16.5 million property. London continues to have the highest rates of homelessness in the UK, with street homelessness in the capital rising 38 per cent year-on-year.

 

Between January and March this year, 4,427 people were recorded as sleeping rough—an 8 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

 

In response to these figures, Labour has pledged an additional £233 million for homelessness services this financial year, with total investment for 2025–26 approaching £1 billion. Rayner's department stated the funding will help keep more families out of temporary accommodation and “tackle rough sleeping head-on.”

 

At the same time, new laws will be introduced to target behaviour linked to organised begging and criminal trespass. These new offences—facilitating begging for gain and trespassing with the intention of committing a crime—are designed to close the gaps left by the Vagrancy Act’s repeal.

Rushanara Ali, the homelessness minister, echoed Rayner’s sentiments, stating: “Scrapping the Vagrancy Act for good is another step forward in our mission to tackle homelessness in all its forms, by focusing our efforts on its root causes.”

 

Charities have welcomed the repeal. Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, described it as “a landmark moment that will change lives and prevent thousands of people from being pushed into the shadows, away from safety.” Emma Haddad, CEO of St Mungo’s, agreed that the repeal “cannot come soon enough” and called for attention to “the health, housing and wider societal issues that are causing homelessness in the first place.” Meanwhile, Centrepoint, a youth homelessness charity, issued a caution, noting the importance of ensuring that the new legal framework does not inadvertently criminalise those it aims to support.

 

The UK’s approach contrasts sharply with that of the United States, where the Supreme Court recently upheld the right of cities to enforce anti-camping laws even if no shelter space is available. In cities such as San Francisco, this has led to harsh policies that include prohibiting sleeping bags and requiring homeless people to move every hour.

 

As the UK prepares to take a new path on homelessness, Rayner’s announcement marks a deliberate effort to offer dignity and practical support rather than punishment to those sleeping rough—turning away from a punitive legacy that has endured for over 200 years.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-06-12

 

 

[Purdey]

So no more fines for people who have not money?

While the abrogation of the law is good, there seems to be no plan to get to the root of the problem.

[Chomper Higgot]

7 minutes ago, Purdey said:

So no more fines for people who have not money?

While the abrogation of the law is good, there seems to be no plan to get to the root of the problem.

Which is?

[JonnyF]

Britain slips further towards third world status under Labour.

 

Rayner is well aware of the chronic housing shortage in Britain which will only get worse with Labour's misguided policies. So far easier to simply legalize homelessness rather than ensure there are enough homes for people.

 

I'm sure she'll make sure there are enough homes for all the immigrants though. 

 

 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Which is?

The government restricting house building, while filling the country with illegal immigrants.

Maybe they should fill the countryside with trailer homes, rather than solar and wind farms.

[Purdey]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Which is?

Inadequate mental health care, insufficient job creation for those wanting to work, not enough job retraining for those who want to work but are unable to find jobs with their current skills. The main cause of homelessness is unaffordable housing.  People don't want to live on the streets if they could avoid it. The homeless don't just live on the streets. There are many living in squats or  “uninhabitable accommodation” places that are damp, have mold or structural safety issues.

 

Honestly, I thought this was obvious.

[Nick Carter icp]

2 minutes ago, Purdey said:

The main cause of homelessness is unaffordable housing.  People don't want to live on the streets if they could avoid it. The homeless don't just live on the streets.

 

   Some homeless people do prefer living on the streets 

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Britain slips further towards third world status under Labour.

 

Rayner is well aware of the chronic housing shortage in Britain which will only get worse with Labour's misguided policies. So far easier to simply legalize homelessness rather than ensure there are enough homes for people.

 

I'm sure she'll make sure there are enough homes for all the immigrants though. 

 

 

A post that ignores Labour’s massive increase in funding for social and affordable housing while failing to understand decriminalizing homelessness is a positive change regardless of any other matters.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Some homeless people do prefer living on the streets 

That is true, and now they will not be criminalized for that choice.

 

[BritManToo]

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

A post that ignores Labour’s massive increase in funding for social and affordable housing while failing to understand decriminalizing homelessness is a positive change regardless of any other matters.

Massive increase in funding

Only half the homes the cons built in their last year

Conclusion, labour skimming twice as much as the conservatives......

 

You call it decriminalising homelessness 

I call it accepting homelessness as normal under Labour

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

A post that ignores Labour’s massive increase in funding for social and affordable housing while failing to understand decriminalizing homelessness is a positive change regardless of any other matters.

Labour's housing target is dismal. Your post ignores that? Why?

[JonnyF]

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Which is?

 

Failing to stop the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants to a country with a chronic housing, healthcare and education problem.

 

Spending millions on hotels for said immigrants while watching (and now being declared a hero for legalizing) ex-servicemen and indiginous Brits often with drug or mental health issues rot and frequently die on the streets. 

 

 

[JonnyF]

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

That is true, and now they will not be criminalized for that choice.

 

 

Victim blaming in order to avoid responsibilty. 

 

Shameful. Even by leftist standards. 

[FlorC]

Good news for expats that burned their bridges .

And it means free camping in Britain where ever you want ?

[connda]

Of course they need to allow the plebs to sleep rough on the streets as housing is totally unaffordable and the government subsidized housing is reserved for illegal immigrants.  Living rough on the street will be the new reality for most younger ethnic white Britons.  Enjoy Hell kids compliments of you're Oxford snob politicians. 

[freedomnow]

8 minutes ago, connda said:

Living rough on the street will be the new reality for most younger ethnic white Britons.

Honestly, the stuff you see on this forum.....

[JonnyF]

34 minutes ago, connda said:

Of course they need to allow the plebs to sleep rough on the streets as housing is totally unaffordable and the government subsidized housing is reserved for illegal immigrants.  Living rough on the street will be the new reality for most younger ethnic white Britons.  Enjoy Hell kids compliments of you're Oxford snob politicians. 

 

Exactly.

 

And as Chomps said, they want to live rough anyway so Rayner is actually doing them a favour. Heart of gold that woman, salt of the earth.

 

Finally Labour have found something for which they can support freedom of choice. The freedom to be poor. The freedom to have nothing. The freedom to live rough on the streets.

 

Delivering real solutions for the homeless. Bravo Angela, Bravo. Time for a holiday to celebrate your brilliance. 

 

[SunnyinBangrak]

As long as the male military age gimmigrants are happy in their 4* hotels with their free iphones, free cash, immediate medical & dental care we should all be happy. 

 

[Baht Simpson]

3 hours ago, Purdey said:

Inadequate mental health care, insufficient job creation for those wanting to work, not enough job retraining for those who want to work but are unable to find jobs with their current skills. The main cause of homelessness is unaffordable housing.  People don't want to live on the streets if they could avoid it. The homeless don't just live on the streets. There are many living in squats or  “uninhabitable accommodation” places that are damp, have mold or structural safety issues.

 

Honestly, I thought this was obvious.

Yes, but I think there are many more reasons.

 

I remember one homeless person when asked why he was homeless said that you're only one bad divorce away from sleeping rough. Alcoholism, drugs and mental dsorders

clearly play a big part.

[JonnyF]

2 hours ago, Baht Simpson said:

Yes, but I think there are many more reasons.

 

I remember one homeless person when asked why he was homeless said that you're only one bad divorce away from sleeping rough. Alcoholism, drugs and mental dsorders

clearly play a big part.

 

Yes, that's exactly why we need to spend British taxes supporting these vulnerable British people, instead of paying for hotels for illegal immigrants who threw their passport in the channel as they crossed on a dinghy. 

[Baht Simpson]

23 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Yes, that's exactly why we need to spend British taxes supporting these vulnerable British people, instead of paying for hotels for illegal immigrants who threw their passport in the channel as they crossed on a dinghy. 

So you support Rayner's initiative then. 

[Chomper Higgot]

35 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Yes, that's exactly why we need to spend British taxes supporting these vulnerable British people, instead of paying for hotels for illegal immigrants who threw their passport in the channel as they crossed on a dinghy. 

And yet Labour are deporting more illegal immigrants than the Tories.

 

Arresting more immigrants illegally working than the Tories.

 

And vastly increasing spending on social housing and affordable housing.

 

Grubby buy to let landlords are, perhaps understandably, not happy but just wait until the renters rights bill passes into law.

 

Brace for income whinging, low and to the right.

[Yellowtail]

When you make it easier, safer and more comfortable for people to sleep in the street, you will have more people sleeping in the street. 

 

Why not compel every homeowner to have at least two people per bedroom?

 

The state can place the less fortunate in homes and provide the homeowner with a small subsidy.