Now he has the power to do it, can Andy Burnham really end homelessness in the UK?

Good morning. On 29 June, as media gathered in Manchester to hear Andy Burnham present his plan to improve the UK, the 1824 Vagrancy Act was quietly repealed in Westminster. This ended two centuries of treating homelessness as a crime rather than a situation to be solved.

Although this move, shifting from punishment to prevention, was welcomed by charities, it did not address the scale of the problem. The number of people sleeping rough on a single night in England during the autumn of 2025 reached a record high of 4,793. This figure is higher than the previous peak in 2017 and marks the fourth consecutive annual increase, despite the UK government more than doubling its spending on homelessness over the last five years.

On Monday, in his first address to the nation as prime minister, Burnham declared his first instruction in office would be 'to end rough sleeping in our country'. This is a familiar promise from Burnham; he made a similar pledge on his first day as mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017, after spending the early morning with people sleeping in the city's Albert Square.

He is not the first Labour leader to feel this strongly about the issue. The 'scandal' of citizens forced to sleep outdoors in all weather conditions was something Tony Blair vowed to end in 1999. His government came close to achieving this, but progress stalled under subsequent Conservative governments. Jeremy Corbyn also planned to make this a central commitment if elected prime minister.

I spoke with Dr Maya Singer Hobbs from IPPR North about the Manchester case study on rough sleeping and the lessons it offers for a national effort. But first, let's look at the main headlines.

Middle East: The US has signed a significant nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, which could allow the kingdom to enrich uranium in the future. UK news: A political lobbying firm, founded by a former election strategist for Boris Johnson, has been secretly paying journalists to write articles favourable to its clients in British newspapers. UK politics: Andy Burnham is involved in a growing political dispute after ordering a review of plans to release thousands of convicted killers, rapists, and sex offenders from prison in September. Environment: Extreme heat, worsened by the climate crisis, is drying out Europe in the summer and intensifying the drought affecting the continent, according to scientific analysis. World news: A modelling scout who recruited women for Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home near Paris, French officials have reported.

Whenever I write about rough sleeping, I recall Mark Starr. I met him in 2019 when Glasgow city council was testing a scheme to help homeless people with digital exclusion. We discussed his first email address at the age of 53, his childhood in Kent, his early work with horses, and his love for them. 'Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd end up on the streets,' he told me. 'It's not easy sitting on the ground with people walking past you.' The article was never published because Mark died on the streets a few months after our meeting.

Rough sleeping, and homelessness more broadly, have increased to record levels recently. The reasons are numerous: a severe lack of social and affordable housing, local projects disrupted by the pandemic, and insufficient support for individuals leaving prison or escaping domestic abuse. Young people, in particular, become vulnerable when their tenancies end and housing benefit fails to keep pace with rapidly rising private rents, especially in city centres. Hidden homelessness, such as sleeping in a car or on a friend's sofa, can also lead to crisis when circumstances change abruptly.

Charities assisting migrants describe a situation where individuals granted asylum often have nowhere to go after their initial 42-day period in Home Office accommodation. This is compounded by growing numbers whose immigration status prevents them from accessing public funds. These individuals, who may have exhausted their appeal process or have visa restrictions, are barred from homelessness services and also lack the right to work.

On Monday, IPPR North released a report, co-authored by Singer Hobbs with the charity Crisis. It calls for a truly 'housing-led' approach to homelessness. As reported by our north of England editor, Josh Halliday, the report predicts that current homelessness levels could rise by 25% to over 230,000 people by 2030 if central government does not take significant action. Burnham had been scheduled to write the foreword for this report before announcing his intention to seek re-election to the Commons, indicating his awareness of its findings.

The report suggests nationally implementing two initiatives tested in Manchester. Burnham's 'A Bed Every Night' programme provided emergency overnight accommodation for anyone in need, not just those with 'priority need' like pregnant women or families with children, who councils are legally obligated to assist. Alongside this, 'Housing First' targets individuals who have been rough sleeping for a long time and typically have complex support needs due to addiction, mental health issues, or other challenges. This model operates on the principle that people achieve more progress when they have stable housing, rather than staying in hostels or temporary bed and breakfasts.

The importance of Burnham making rough sleeping his immediate mayoral priority cannot be overstated. Singer Hobbs notes that he 'expended political capital,' making it easier for those in the sector because they understood his objectives. This led to more effective collaboration between different boroughs and agencies, including the sharing of data about who was rough sleeping in various areas.

Although rough sleeping numbers in Manchester decreased annually from 2018 to 2021, they have begun to rise again post-pandemic. Local charities, interviewed on Monday after Burnham's pledge, argued that a nationwide strategy is necessary to address the many systemic causes of rough sleeping, an issue identified by both IPPR North and Burnham himself. Singer Hobbs explains that as the mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham had no influence over many factors driving homelessness, such as the welfare system, the Home Office, or the Ministry of Justice. However, as prime minister, he now possesses these tools.

The current challenge lies in what she terms 'the eternal balance of any kind of devolution'. While coordination at a hyper-local level is practical for frontline services, with many rough sleepers already known in their communities, prevention strategies are managed nationally. This ensures that 'you don't end up with a policy made in one department inadvertently driving homelessness up somewhere else'. For instance, extending the 'move-on' period for individuals recently granted refugee status would be a preventive measure.

Criticism has also been directed at 'A Bed Every Night'. The provision could be as basic as a sleeping bag on a hostel floor, and night shelters often lack the resources to help people improve their circumstances, sometimes worsening their vulnerabilities. The UK government is already spending billions on expensive and frequently substandard temporary accommodation, with increasing numbers becoming stuck in this stage due to a lack of available housing. Research for the Children's Commissioner for England last year found that 520 families in England had been living in bed and breakfast accommodation for over a year.

IPPR North has examined some innovative solutions: Wigan has leased long-term empty homes at reduced rates from private landlords, and Waltham Forest has repurposed council-owned buildings. However, this presents another difficulty for Burnham: can he implement sufficient measures at the end of the housing chain to ensure temporary accommodation serves only as a brief emergency provision before a settled home is found? If Burnham follows through on his June outline to 'oversee the biggest council housebuilding programme since the postwar period', this would significantly ease pressure on local authorities. Yet, his predecessor, Keir Starmer, faced significant obstacles in his efforts to build 1.5 million homes over five years, due to high interest rates, rising construction costs, and the impact of Brexit.

It is worth examining Scotland's approach, where Holyrood's homelessness legislation is considered among the most progressive globally. However, it has not achieved its goals due to a significant gap between ambitious legal rights and the practical resources needed to fulfil them. The majority of Scottish councils offer the Housing First programme favoured by Burnham, but, similar to England, rough sleeping has increased since lockdown. Campaigners in Scotland suggest that after initial pilot successes, momentum was lost post-Covid, with the Scottish government failing to provide the necessary long-term oversight and strategic vision.

Unlike in England, Scotland—and recently Wales—has abolished the concept of 'priority need'. However, at a time when local government is facing financial difficulties, this universal duty to house anyone unintentionally homeless has placed a considerable burden on councils. It has also attracted individuals newly granted asylum in other parts of the UK to Scotland, a tactic Reform was quick to exploit during the Holyrood election campaign earlier this year. Nevertheless, IPPR North and Crisis argue this approach is fundamentally fairer and have urged the UK government to implement it nationwide, with a clear timeline and additional funding. Charities in Scotland believe this would help balance the system and reduce the incentive for people in need to move across the border.

Can Andy Burnham end rough sleeping across the country? Singer Hobbs believes it is possible, but immediately adds that the funding announced on Monday is unlikely to be sufficient. Progress was significantly hindered before; Blair's rough sleepers' unit was led by the highly effective problem-solver Louise Casey, who also coordinated 'Everyone In' at the start of lockdown. This initiative required local authorities across England just three days to move all rough sleepers into emergency accommodation, demonstrating what could be achieved if homelessness were treated as a public health crisis.

Most people will fortunately never experience homelessness, yet it is becoming an increasing public concern. According to polling before May's Holyrood elections, one in three Scots worried about losing their home in the coming years, while 61% were more likely to vote for parties prioritising action on homelessness. Singer Hobbs states that 'people sleeping rough is a really visible sign of our public realm not being fit for purpose.' Burnham already understands that homelessness is a political decision. Now facing an electorate tired of unfulfilled promises, he has placed his government's reputation on this issue.