UK Interior Minister plans to restrict use of tents by homeless

Interior Minister Suella Braverman proposes new laws to limit use of tents by homeless, citing "lifestyle choice" & "explosion of crime, drug taking, & squalor". Opp. Labour Party & charity Shelter criticise, blaming 13 yrs of Conservative govt. Govt's new legislative programme to be outlined in King's Speech Tues.

Britain's Interior Minister Suella Braverman said on Saturday she would propose new laws to limit the use of tents by homeless people, saying many of them see it as "a lifestyle choice".

In a post on X, Ms. Braverman, who is seen as a possible future leader of the governing Conservative Party, said the state would 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," she said.

Ms. Braverman argued that unless the government acted, British cities would "go the way of places in the U.S. like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where weak policies have led to an explosion of crime, drug taking, and squalor."

She said there were options for people who did not want to be sleeping rough, and the government was working with local government to increase support.

"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," Ms. Braverman added.