Alex Chalk appeared to suggest that taking tents from homeless people is a form of ‘tough love’ in the latest Tory outburst.
The justice secretary distanced himself from the Home Secretary’s claim that rough sleeping is sometimes a “lifestyle choice” in a Sky News interview this morning, but came up with some novel suggestions of his own.
It was reported over the weekend that Braverman has proposed establishing a civil offence to deter charities from giving tents to homeless people.
Organisations could be fined for doing so if it is deemed to have caused a nuisance under the plans being pitched for inclusion in the King’s Speech, which will set out the UK Government’s legislative agenda on Tuesday.
The potential law would also seek to prevent the obstruction of shop doorways by rough sleepers who are using tents, the FT said.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Home Secretary said the UK should not become San Francisco or Los Angeles, and warned against rough sleeping becoming a “lifestyle choice”.
Chalk, pressed on the comments, told Sky News he would take a “take a different approach”.
“There’s often a very significant context, which will be mental health issues, substance abuse problems, relationship breakdown, loss of a job and so on. And so I do think that that needs to be weighed in the balance.”
He added: “We shouldn’t do anything which entrenches people’s rough sleeping. Because if you do that, effectively you’re condemning and consigning people to poorer health outcomes and I’m afraid, in some cases, even shorter life expectancy.
“So to be kind you sometimes have to be robust and you sometimes have to be really quite firm.”
Related: Joe Lycett smashes homelessness charity target in response to Braverman comments