HOMELESSNESS campaigners condemned Home Secretary Suella Braverman today for claiming that rough sleeping is a “lifestyle choice” as the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers continued to distance themselves from her appalling comments.

Ms Braverman’s remarks have heightened the stigma around homeless people and will demotivate people from receiving support, according to Manchester-based charity Homeless Friendly founder Dr Zahid Chauhan.

“It is completely inappropriate to brand that as a lifestyle choice,” he said.

“These people are already suffering, they’ve already been stigmatised, and, coming from a national politician, statements like that don’t help the cause.”

The GP and Labour councillor said Ms Braverman’s comments generalised people’s personal situations and added that she lacked understanding of their experience.

Dr Chauhan spoke of people who have resorted to sleeping in cemeteries and said that current services do not provide enough support for homeless people and rough sleepers.

He said the government needs to show care and compassion in order to help improve homeless services, urging: “Let’s gear up our homeless services, our housing services, benefits and social services to support these people.”

Molly Doyle of Homes for All called Ms Braverman’s comments appalling, saying: “It is simply not true that there are other options available.

“We are in a housing crisis, as a direct result of failed government policies and the undermining of council housing.

“Suella Braverman has aligned with and given oxygen to the far right who attempt to blame refugees for the housing crisis.”

One former homeless man, who spent six months sleeping rough and described his tent as a lifeline, challenged Ms Braverman to walk the streets with him to see the realities some people face.

Chris Royston said her comments had left him feeling hurt, misunderstood and stigmatised as he accused the government of seeking a “political score.”

“The only solution is to bring people indoors like they did through the pandemic,” he said. “The government have proven that they’re able to do it if they want to do it.”

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk became the latest senior Tory to distance himself from the comments today, saying he would “take a different approach.”

On Monday, PM Rishi Sunak refused to criticise the Home Secretary’s claim but stopped short of repeating her comments, while Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said she “wouldn’t necessarily use” the language Ms Braverman chose to talk about homelessness.