Layla Moran celebrates victory in campaign to abolish the barbaric Vagrancy Act of 1824

The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, announced that the Vagrancy Act, which criminalised rough sleeping, will be scrapped for good by Spring of next year. The Act, still in use to this day, makes anyone seen living in the streets or begging liable for arrest. 

Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, has led a cross party campaign to repeal this Act and push for rough sleepers to be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. Liberal Democrats remain at the forefront of the campaign to reverse recent rises in rough sleeping and those in temporary sheltered accomodation. 

A group of Oxford students and Oxford-based homelessness group ‘On Your Doorstep’ first brought Layla a petition to end the criminalisation of rough sleeping in 2018. Since then, Layla has pressed the Government repeatedly on the issue through questions to Ministers and the Prime Minister, an Adjournment and Westminster Hall debate, as well as countless letters. All were all used to pressure the government to finally tackle this issue.

In 2022 the then-Government bowed to cross-party pressure and repealed the Vagrancy Act, but it was never implemented until now. 

Layla Moran said in reaction to the Act’s abolition:

“With pure joy, I can finally say that after 7 years of dogged campaigning, this barbaric law will be consigned to the history books. 

“For too long, the most vulnerable people in society have lived under the spectre of criminalisation. It is not, and should never have been, acceptable to view homelessness as a crime.

The results of this campaign show what democracy is all about; citizens have created change. To those that feel powerless or overlooked by the Government, I say make your voices heard.”