Lib Dems: Government dodges commitment to repeal the Vagrancy Act at PMQs

Responding to the Prime Minister's Question which saw the Government once again dodge a solid committment to repeal the Vagrancy Act, Liberal Democrat MP and longstanding campaigner for the repeal of the Vagrancy Act, Layla Moran said: 

"It's been 8 months since the Government first said this outdated and cruel Act should be 'consigned to history' and yet the Prime Minister is still dragging his heels over the issue. 

"If the Government is serious about repealing this Dickensian law, warm words need to change into swift action. Every day this Act remains is a travesty to our society. 

"We have a real chance of making meaningful change to the way our society treats homelessness but instead this government is creating a real risk of breaking its promise to abolish rough sleeping."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• Layla first started campaigning to repeal the Vagrancy Act when she was first elected as an MP in 2017. It came in response to a petition by the Oxford University Student Union and Oxford-based homelessness group On Your Doorstep. 
• She managed to raise it in PMQs and then in a debate in 2019.
• Since then she has been working cross-party from all sides and with charities such as Crisis, Centrepoint, Shelter and St Mungo's.