Burnham pledges £340m to end rough sleeping as prison-leaver homelessness hits five-year high

In his first speech as prime minister, Andy Burnham pledged £340 million over three years to eradicate rough sleeping in England. The announcement coincided with Nacro data showing prison-leaver homelessness in England and Wales has risen every year since 2021-22, from 10.6% to 15.9% — with 15,155 people released without housing in 2025-26. Three in four released to rough sleeping reoffend within a year.