Campaign win: Vagrancy Act to be repealed, once and for all
11.06.2025
The UK Government has confirmed its intention to fully repeal the Vagrancy Act of 1824 by spring 2026.
This is a monumental campaign win and is the culmination of years of campaigning and pressure from all parts of society.
Together, we told the UK Government that no one should be punished simply for being homeless.
We didn’t stop fighting for what’s right. And the UK Government has listened.
What is the Vagrancy Act?
The Vagrancy Act of 1824 makes it a crime to sleep rough or beg in England and Wales.
It gave the police powers to issue fines of up to £1,000 or prosecute people who are begging or rough sleeping. For more than 200 years, the Vagrancy Act has treated people who are homeless as criminals and second-class citizens.
Sleeping rough is the most dangerous form of homelessness. It leaves people exposed to violence and serious health risks. This Act has punished people for trying to stay safe and has done nothing to address why people become homeless in the first place.
Punishing people simply for not having a home has no place in 21st century Britain.
How did we get here?
Crisis have campaigned to repeal the Vagrancy Act since 2018, working with a wide range of charities, lawyers, police forces, people with lived experience of homelessnes and politicians from all political parties in Westminster and the Welsh Senedd.
Thousands of you signed petitions, emailed your MP and even contacted peers in the House of Lords.
Thanks to our campaigning, Parliament in Westminster voted to scrap the Act in 2022.
But the law was never fully repealed. Instead, the previous UK Government, under Rishi Sunak, attempted to pass even worse laws as part of its Criminal Justice Bill. But we faced them down.
We didn’t stop fighting for what’s right. And now, the current UK Government has listened.
This success belongs to our members, supporters and partners, and the charities, police forces, lawyers and politicians of all parties who have strived to make this change for years.
Together, we are a force to be reckoned with.
Ending the use of the Vagrancy Act recognises a shameful history of persecuting people for poverty and destitution, something that figures like William Wilberforce and Winston Churchill warned against in their opposition to the Act.
Now we can finally consign this outdated approach to homelessness to the history books and look ahead to a new chapter focusing on what really works to end homelessness.
We look forward to assisting the UK Government with their forthcoming homelessness strategy to do exactly that.
But for now, let’s celebrate this historic win.