How do you end rough sleeping?
Debut post on Arguably!
I have a piece out on Arguably today, discussing Andy Burnham’s pledge to end rough sleeping in the UK. I actually pitched this a couple of weeks ago, making the case that it should be one of his first actions, but unfortunately had to miss out on looking incredibly prescient. You’ll just have to make do with my case for why I think it is good politics as well as good policy: addressing the need for immediate and evident progress to sustain public support for harder structural challenges, and also giving a clear demonstration of Burnham’s own values and convictions, highlighting a cause he personally cares about (having donated 15% of his salary as Manchester mayor to addressing the problem). Here’s a snippet:
To be a successful Prime Minister, Andy Burnham needs to improve upon his predecessor in numerous ways, but two of the most pressing are delivering quick, tangible results and proving that he has authentic principles and values. That’s why making his first instruction an order to end rough sleeping is so powerful. It meets both of those objectives while tackling a moral outrage that scars our society.
Read the full thing here.