Brace for a new era of tent cities

Telegraph

a day ago

Could the Government be about to legalise tent cities of foreign homeless in our cities? They have announced plans to fully repeal the 1824 Vagrancy Act, which was introduced to deal with the rise in homelessness created by inward migration during the Industrial Revolution, soldiers discharged at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and the effects of the Corn Laws.
The repeal means it will no longer be an offence to sleep on the pavement, which could pave the way for the spread of tent camps in our cities. These have become an increasingly common sight, driven by the influx of immigrants. It was at the tent camp in Park Lane that GB News journalist Patrick Christys was recently doused with water by a resident, after she decided that his questions meant he must be with the police.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has said that it will 'draw a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society'. This exposes the fake compassion at the heart of homelessness reformers. The Park Lane encampment has been shut down at least twice already but returned. When YouTuber Wesley Winter interviewed some of the Roma living there, they openly admitted that they were only there to beg, in order to send money home.
Despite this, Transport for London, who are working with Westminster Council to remove the encampment, said that they want to resolve the issue 'compassionately and safely'. Simply moving people on has meant that the tent camp has always returned once the police leave. Ordinary people have been left to contend with nuisance begging and even a brothel being run on the site, with children on their way to school offered sex for money.
Far from being too harsh, the Vagrancy Act is insufficient. A Portuguese criminal, who had already been jailed in his home country, was able to frustrate warrants for him to be moved on by simply moving his tent around. He was eventually arrested 11 times, for crimes like selling drugs, money laundering, and possessing firearms. The Human Rights Act has also frustrated the authorities, as they can be barred from entering tents because that would be a breach of the right to privacy in the 'home'.
Many of the homeless are EU citizens, with data from the Greater London Authority showing that the most numerous foreign nationality are Romanians. They benefit from the generosity of the EU Settlement Scheme – entirely unreciprocated by the EU – so that even if they are destitute, they cannot be removed to their home countries like other foreign nationals. There are also increasing numbers of Eritreans, which may be down to small boat crossings, as human rights laws make it nearly impossible to deport them.
This faux compassion exposes the homeless to the dangers of living on the streets and the public to the danger of people who may be habitual criminals, drug dealers, or alcoholics. As has been seen in places like San Francisco, tent cities become magnets for dangerous and illegal behaviour. It would be much better to ensure those with substance abuse issues are put into secure treatment, those who have slipped between the cracks are helped into accommodation, while destitute foreigners are sent home.
Primary legislation to scrap the Vagrancy Act was passed in 2022 under the previous Tory government, but formal repeal has not yet occurred. The Government now says it will repeal the Act by Spring next year. In the meantime it will introduce a new offence of facilitating begging for gain and an offence of trespassing with the intention of committing a crime, which it says will allow police to deal effectively with homelessness-related criminal activity. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will also increase funding for homelessness services by an extra £233 million this financial year, bringing total investment for 2025-26 to nearly £1 billion.