Truth behind Tory plan to criminalize homelessness revealed

They also expect the bill is unlikely to be passed before the general election, otherwise it will be scrapped if a Labor government replaces the Conservatives in 10 Downing Street.

“I think that would be a good thing. But unfortunately we can’t count on that,” they said.

“I think where we are more broadly in the political cycle: morale in the services is low and the general mood is low. This is just a last ditch attempt to give the impression that he is doing something to appease the timid Tory voter, who gets a little haughty when someone comes asking for a few pennies to buy a meal. I think people at an official level are really seeing through the cracks, but our code forces us to do the work.

“First of all, it’s not workable. And second, in whose public interest is it to criminalize the homeless or those struggling to make ends meet? It might be in the interests of the Tories, but certainly not in those of the public.

‘I think as civil servants sometimes the best we can do is throw things in the grass and just hope that a change in ministerial direction, or a change in government, which is a rarity that we are afforded, means that we can these ideas, because I don’t think anyone likes working on them.”

The government insider also revealed that the major issue has been raised in discussions surrounding the bill.

They were concerned that the current wording in the bill, which talks about “nuisance sleeping” and “nuisance begging” and could punish people who are “likely” to be down, is too broad and could cause problems for major problem providers.

Their concerns centered on Clause 57 of the Bill, which defines “nuisance begging”. Currently, the clause prevents intimidation, alarm or fear of a person or their property and mentions areas such as ATMs, public transport or vending machines.

‘It just depends on how hard you push that, because is anyone going to say that selling the Big Issue is considered harassment?’ said the government insider.

“Sellers offer something in exchange for money, which is not begging, but when a member of the public has a distorted view of society or a distorted view of homelessness and thinks, ‘Oh, this is intimidating’ while standing in a designated place as a train station, can they consider this a violation? It’s just way too narrow.

“Unfortunately, we live in this society where if you want to claim that you are being harassed, the police will be forced to go along with it. It’s all a waste of everyone’s time.

“Article 57 is problematic from start to finish. They (the Home Office) are trying to continue with it, trying to make the shoe fit and that is not good policy making.”

Ultimately, the government insider said, the bill is an indictment of the Tories’ time in power, and he accused ministers of hoping the homelessness measures would pass into law unnoticed.

“It’s the icing on the cake here. Because you’ve had a decade of austerity and cuts to essential services on the front end, and then on your way out you decide to criminalize the very same people you actually put on the street,” the government insider said.

“The Home Secretary may not be as controversial as Suella, but it’s just the mechanisms and the way they do things like this that criminalize vagrancy in this way. Because they know that without movements like the Big Issue, people wouldn’t be shouting about it, because it just gets lost among the amendments to fifty other bills and laws.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Civil servants enter the public service knowing they are here to serve the government of today, implement its policies and act professionally in accordance with the Civil Service Code.

“The Criminal Justice Bill will repeal the outdated vagrancy law and replace it with new legislation aimed at supporting people to get off the streets. No one will be criminalized simply because they have nowhere to live and we will continue to work with stakeholders and parliamentary colleagues as the bill passes through Parliament.”

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