Prime Minister Andy Burnham has admitted he “may not succeed” in getting homeless people off the streets for Christmas, but insisted he “has to try”.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Mr Burnham acknowledged he could not force anyone to accept an offer of accommodation, despite vowing on the steps of Downing Street to end rough sleeping and ensure everyone living on the streets is given an offer by winter.
‘I may not succeed’
Mr Burnham said: “I will do my best to give everybody an offer. And the real failure would be, if that didn't happen, if someone out there said, ‘well, no one said I could come in’. And I may not succeed.
“Let me just put my hands up and say that. I'd rather try, because that's who I am. I want to bring those values to the way I go about this.”
He added: “What I am working to ensure by Christmas is that everybody's given an offer of accommodation. I can't force somebody to walk into that accommodation.”
‘A permanent policy’
Asked if he was rowing back on the pledge, which has been welcomed by homeless charities, the PM insisted he would not stop fighting to help people off the street.
He said: “No, no, no… that is the policy, and as long as I'm Prime Minister, that will be the policy, an ‘everyone in policy’, and it's not a temporary policy. It's a permanent policy.
“I want to be clear that you cannot force somebody to leave where they are and come in. But the ambition is clear. What I can guarantee is everyone in that position is given an offer, and that's what I'm asking everyone in this team to do by Christmas.”
National effort and Number 10 North
The Makerfield MP also repeated his rallying cry that the national effort will require not just funding but also support from faith organisations and charities.
He added: “It's a permanent thing. It's not just, we have a drive for Christmas and then it goes away.”
The pledge was made as England's regional mayors convened at the first “virtual situation room” meeting that was convened by Number 10 North.
Vowing to transform Britain, the PM said: “Together we're going to drive growth through Number 10 North and change the way the country is run. This is a huge innovation that shouldn't be underestimated. Some people want to call it a gimmick. It's far from that.”
