RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from The Straits Times — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesBritish Prime Minister Andy Burnham (left) met homeless people on the street on July 20.
Listen Summarise British PM Andy Burnham plans to end rough sleeping by Christmas, donating 15% of his £180,000 salary to homelessness causes and boosting funding to £442 million. The government will provide emergency accommodation and long-term housing support, focusing on areas with highest homelessness, aiming to create over 1,000 permanent homes in three years. Burnham calls for local leadership and wider societal help, while opposition parties criticise the lack of detailed delivery and funding plans for the programme. AI generated
LONDON – New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled plans on Aug 19 to offer those sleeping rough a way off the streets by Christmas, and vowed to donate part of his wages to help curb homelessness.
“No one should have to bed down in a doorway or outside a station,” Burnham said in a statement announcing the new plans.
It comes a month after Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister, and builds on his promise on his first day in office to end rough sleeping.
His government is now setting out the next steps to achieve that aim, with emergency accommodation and long-term housing support to be put in place across England this winter.
Under the programme, areas facing the highest levels of homelessness and housing pressure will receive the largest share of a boosted £442 million (S$764.9 million) in funding.
And Burnham told the Big Issue magazine, which works to fight poverty, that he would donate 15 per cent of his salary to homelessness causes.
The publication says the PM is paid about £180,000 a year.
“I wouldn’t want to ask anybody to do anything that I’m not prepared to do. I want to lead from the front,” he told the magazine.
“This issue matters massively to me. I don’t want to live in a country where walking past people sleeping rough just becomes commonplace.”
The number of rough sleepers in England reached a record 4,793 in 2025, according to government figures.
Rough sleepers – those sleeping outdoors – are a minority of England’s total homeless, estimated at 382,000 in 2025 by leading charity Shelter.
This larger figure includes those who manage to stay off the streets, but lack a permanent residence or security of tenure, and includes families and children.
The figures show little sign of budging, with the Institute for Public Policy Research think-tank warning earlier in 2026 that the numbers could increase by 25 per cent by 2030.
Burnham cited efforts to move rough sleepers into temporary accommodation during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying in his statement that “we can do it again”.
He also vowed to end rough sleeping during his almost decade-long stint as mayor of the northern city of Manchester, but ultimately failed despite some initial success.
He pledged on Aug 17 that the government would convene the first national summit dedicated to tackling rough sleeping later in 2026.
Burnham also stressed it will be up to local leaders, including mayors, to drive the action before Christmas.
He said during a visit to a homeless charity in northern Newcastle that the programme would be funded from the existing Housing Ministry budget.
But he acknowledged: “The government money may not fully get us there.”
“I’m saying to wider society, faith organisations, let’s see if we can do this together. Let’s see if Britain can do this.”
The government said the funding package would not only provide immediate accommodation, but also support the creation of more than 1,000 permanent homes over the next three years.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said the government was moving urgently following Burnham’s pledge.
“This funding will help thousands of people leave the streets behind, move into secure homes, and get the support they need to rebuild their lives,” she said.
Charities broadly welcomed the announcement, but there was scepticism from other political parties.
The opposition Conservatives housing spokesman James Cleverly said it had been presented “without any plan for delivery”.
“And as with many of his other commitments, there is very little detail on how this one will be paid for,” he added. AFP
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.