A Milton Keynes charity has slammed the Home Secretary's recent comments on homelessness.
The Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been facing a backlash following controversial comments on rough sleeping.
The home secretary stated that she plans to restrict the use of tents by homeless people across the UK.
In a statement on X, formally Twitter, Suella Braverman said: "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."
Milton Keynes' homeless charity, The Bus Shelter MK has taken to social media to state that it "strongly disagrees" with Suella Braverman that homelessness is a lifestyle choice.
"Homelessness is a complex issue and usually rooted in events beyond an individual's control, such as family breakdowns, ill health, job loss and the lack of affordable housing. It is not a choice that anyone would willingly make," a spokesperson said.
"Instead of stigmatising individuals experiencing homelessness, we must work together to develop compassionate and effective solutions that provide affordable housing, access to mental health care, job opportunities, and social support.
"The Bus Shelter MK will continue to help those who find themselves sleeping on the streets of Milton Keynes to get their lives back on track. Please help if you can."
Local Labour candidate Emily Darlington has also responded to the Home Secretary's comments stating that they were “insensitive” and “infantilising”.
In a now-viral twitter thread published on Sunday 5th November, Emily – also the cabinet member for housing on Milton Keynes Council – set out the steps she and her team took to end rough sleeping in Milton Keynes, once known as ‘tent city’.
In contrast, the numbers of people sleeping rough in Britain have increased dramatically after 13 years of Conservative failure in government, rising 74% since 2010.
Addressing the Home Secretary directly, Emily Darlington, Labour’s candidate for Milton Keynes Central, said: “Making tents a civil offence is not the way to end rough sleeping Suella Braverman. Bringing statutory and voluntary services together is the only way to help rough sleepers on the road to success.
“Instead of making insensitive comments and infantilising homeless people, the Government should start by taking responsibility for the desperate state of mental health services and the shortage of decent, secure and affordable housing after thirteen years of Conservative failure.
“A toxic mix of lack of mental health services and drug and alcohol treatment, with rising rents and a failure to end no-fault evictions are hitting vulnerable people, yet after years of delay the Tories still haven’t kept their promises to act.
“Labour will act where the Tories have failed. We will work with voluntary organisations rather than punishing them. We will get the NHS back on its feet. And we will build the housing needed to get people into safe, secure homes.”
