Tory rebels are plotting to topple the Government’s flagship new crime bill amid concerns that it will effectively criminalise homelessness.
Under proposals announced by former home secretary Suella Braverman, police in England and Wales will be given powers to fine or even imprison rough sleepers deemed to be causing a “nuisance”.
The move has infuriated dozens of MPs across the Conservative Party, who warn the definition of “nuisance” is so broad that it could “punish people simply for being homeless”.
The proposals would also count somebody sleeping in a doorway as a “nuisance”, plus anyone with an “excessive smell” or who appears as though they intend to sleep rough. Those deemed in breach of the rules could be moved on, fined up to £2,500 or jailed under the proposed legislation.
More than 40 Tory MPs have signalled to Government whips they will vote against the bill, according to The Times. They are understood to be supporting proposals by Bob Blackman, the Tory MP and joint executive secretary of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, to remove parts of the bill that criminalise rough sleeping.
Mr Blackman has also called for the Government to repeal the current Vagrancy Act, a 200-year-old piece of legislation brought in to target wounded soldiers who began begging on the streets after returning from the Napoleonic wars.
While the Government has committed to repealing the act, it has yet to announce a date for doing so and critics argue the new crime bill would go even further.
One Tory MP and former minister told i Rishi Sunak’s decision to pursue the proposals despite Ms Braverman resigning last November was “a really odd idea” that could see the Prime Minister face a sizeable rebellion.
“Homelessness is a very complex issue and it is not always the case that the homeless are homeless by accident. There are addiction issues and mental health issues that contribute too. But the idea that you can fine a homeless person £2,500 is clearly ridiculous,” they said.
“We must find a way to help people and criminalising them is probably not the way forward. The solution is tricky… but it should be more carrot than stick.”
Another Tory MP told i the party was “following totally the wrong strategy” on homelessness, adding that it showed Mr Sunak is “a leader singularly ill-suited to the challenges”.
Ministers are understood to be in talks with Tory rebels about their concerns over the bill, with the list including heavyweights such as former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and the former deputy prime minister Damian Green.
It will come as a blow for Mr Sunak, with the bill seen as a crucial part of the Tories’ strategy to present the party as tough on crime before the next general election, expected later this year.
Kevin Hollinrake, the business minister, refused to say whether he supported the plans when asked on Monday.
He told Times Radio: “I believe that those things are not within my auspices.
“I’ll be interested to see the legislation as it goes through. And what the Prime Minister has planned.”
Alex Norris, the shadow policing minister, said: “With soaring serious violence, plummeting charging rates and rock bottom levels of confidence in policing, the Criminal Justice Bill was a chance to address crucial community safety issues.
“Instead the Government have chosen to go after homeless people or indeed anyone who smells. These are the twisted priorities of a Government out of time.”
