Arabic version: بيرنهام يحث على وضع خطط إسكان للمحاربين القدامى الذين ينامون في الشوارع

According to BBC News, no one who served in the UK armed forces should have to sleep on the streets this Christmas, Andy Burnham has said. Downing Street said the prime minister will write personally to councils across England on Armistice Day, 11 November, urging them to prepare specific plans to provide accommodation for veterans sleeping rough before the festive period.

The prime minister will tell councils that national and local government should work to the “simple principle” that “no one who has served our country should ever be left to sleep rough on our streets”. Burnham will ask local authorities to use part of the additional £874m already announced for tackling homelessness specifically to house veterans.

“People who stepped forward prepared to put their lives on the line for the rest of us should never lack a roof over their head,” Burnham said in a statement on Saturday. “When they need help, the country owes them more than warm words. It owes them a bed every night, a proper plan and someone in their corner from day one.” Councils will be asked to work with local organisations and charities on veteran homelessness.

Downing Street said a further £8.7m would go to eight organisations across the UK to help housing providers support veterans with complex needs, including health or addiction problems. The organisations include Veteran Housing Scotland, Launchpad and SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity. The commitment, announced before Remembrance Sunday, forms part of Burnham’s wider plan to offer everyone currently sleeping rough a bed this winter.

Official figures estimated that 4,793 people were sleeping rough on a single night in England in autumn 2025, a record high. The number has risen since 2021, while the government has committed £4.4bn in total to end rough sleeping. Veterans sleeping rough, or people supporting them, can call the UK-wide helpline on 0800 9520774 for housing and specialist support.