Fact check: Rishi Sunak falsely claims rough sleeping is down by 35%. Here’s the truth.

That is a false claim made by Sunak.

Rishi Sunak

During PMQs yesterday Prime Minister Rishi Sunak falsely claimed that rough sleeping in the country is down by 35% when challenged by Keir Starmer about rising rates of homelessness.

The Labour leader told Sunak: “Nearly 140,000 children are going to be homeless this Christmas, that is more than ever before, that’s a shocking state of affairs and it should shame this government.

“Instead of more social housing, house building is set to collapse, instead of banning no fault evictions thousands of families are at risk of homelessness, rather than indulging his backbenchers…when is he going to get a grip and focus on the country?”

Sunak replied: “Rough sleeping in this country is down by 35% thanks to the efforts of this government.”

That is a false claim made by Sunak.

According to the government’s own figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, rough sleeping hasn’t gone down. The number of people sleeping rough may have gone down by 35% since its 2017 peak, however it’s up 74% since 2010.

Another Tory lie designed to mislead the public.

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

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