Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the Government is ‘drawing a line under nearly two centuries of injustice’ by abolishing the Vagrancy Act, which has been on the statute books since 1824
Labour will finally tear up “shameful” 200 year old laws criminalising rough sleepers.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has announced she will abolish the Vagrancy Act, which makes rough sleeping illegal in England and Wales. The 1824 legislation has long been criticised by homelessness charities, and the move has been branded a ” landmark moment that will change lives”.
It will be included as an amendment to the flagship Crime and Policing Bill – with new laws instead targeting organised begging by gangs and trespassing. The Act will be scrapped by next spring, ministers say. Ms Rayner said: “We are drawing 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“No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and by scrapping this cruel and outdated law, we are making sure that can never happen again.”
READ MORE: Sick ‘pimping websites’ given four-word warning as MPs demand new laws
The announcement was welcomed by charities which support rough sleepers. Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: “This is a landmark moment that will change lives and prevent thousands of people from being pushed into the shadows, away from safety.
“For 200 years the Vagrancy Act has meant that people who are homeless are treated as criminals and second class citizens. It has punished people for trying to stay safe and done nothing to address why people become homeless in the first place.
“Ending the use of the Vagrancy Act recognises a shameful history of persecuting people for poverty and destitution, something that figures like William Wilberforce and Winston Churchill warned against in their opposition to the Act.
“It is of great credit to the UK Government that they have shown such principled leadership in scrapping this pernicious Act.”
And St Mungo’s CEO Emma Haddad said:”The repeal of the Vagrancy Act, which criminalises rough sleeping, cannot come soon enough.
“Right now, we are supporting thousands of people who are rough sleeping; everyone facing this issue has their own heartbreaking story to tell of how they ended up on the streets – from complex mental and physical health issues to an increasingly unaffordable housing market.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) says it will be concentrating tackling the root causes of homelessness. It has boosted funding for homelessness services by an extra £233million this financial year, while Ms Rayner is heading up a new homelessness strategy.
Minister for Homelessness Rushanara Ali said: “Today marks a historic shift in how we’re responding to the rough sleeping crisis, by repealing an archaic Act that is neither just nor fit for purpose. 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.”
READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster