Nigel Farage says PM's rough-sleeping plan tells migrants 'everything is free if you come by boat'

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Half of all rough sleepers in London last year were identified as foreign nationals

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has told Andy Burnham his plan to offer all rough sleepers a bed by Christmas will attract even more asylum seekers to Britain.

Mr Farage, who continues to call on the Prime Minister to declare a national emergency in the Channel, claimed Mr Burnham risks advertising to migrants that "everything is free if you come by boat".

Small boat migrants currently receive free accommodation, including at ex-military bases and asylum hotels.

They also receive up to a cash allowance of up to £49.18 a week and free healthcare.

Local authorities have provided refugees with other perks, including a free year-long pass to the Museum of Oxford and cheaper access to 400 historic buildings associated with English Heritage.

However, Mr Farage's concerns came just hours after Mr Burnham admitted the Treasury's £442million homelessness pot might not be enough to address the issue.

He said: “The Government money may not fully get us there, and I’m saying to wider society, faith organisations, let’s see if we can do this together.

“Let’s see if Britain can do this. Give everybody an offer to come inside before Christmas. You know, that is just something we can do.

“We did it in the pandemic. We can do it again, and it’s a rallying call, really, that I’m putting out there today with a lot of Government money behind it.”

Experts have estimated Labour needs to find about 5,000 beds in the next four months to deliver on Mr Burnham's promise.

Research by the Centre for Social Justice also revealed earlier this year that around half of rough sleepers in London were foreign nationals.

The think tank found that 1,000 homeless people in London were housed at asylum accommodation before ending up on the streets, an increase of 10 per cent compared to the previous year.

The Prime Minister made a similar pledge to tackle homelessness while serving as the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Mr Burnham missed his original 2020 target to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester, with four consecutive annual rises being recorded since a 2021 low of 89.

The figure, which rose to 197 in 2025, is still down compared to the 268 recorded in 2017.

However, Mr Burnham has also accepted that not every rough sleeper will want to take up his offer.

The £442million fund is being taken from the Ministry of Housing's existing budget.

However, Labour has not provided details on how the Government will find the funds.

Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly is now putting pressure on Mr Burnham to rule out tax rises as part of his push to end homelessness by Christmas.

Sir James said: “Andy Burnham promised to end rough sleeping in Manchester, and failed because he didn’t do the hard work necessary.

“Now he is pledging to end it nationally without any plan for delivery. And as with many of his other commitments, there is very little detail on how this one will be paid for.

“It doesn’t help that Labour have failed to control our borders and are now moving asylum seekers into HMOs [houses in multiple occupation], making it even harder for homeless people to find accommodation.

“Labour must come clean on what other programmes they are cutting to pay for this project.

"Otherwise, struggling families will fear that yet more Labour tax rises are on the horizon.”