Men bear main brunt as homeless deaths continue to soar in Britain

Statistics reveal 597 rough sleepers died in England and Wales last year – 84 per cent of them male

As Britain’s Parliament spent the week squabbling about Brexit, a man collapsed and died outside Westminster underground station.

His name was Gyula Remes. Remes, 45, was one of the homeless people who sleep outside close to the Houses of Parliament. Office of National Statistics figures released on Thursday show homeless deaths have increased by 24 per cent over the past five years.

They also show that 84 per cent of the 597 homeless people who died in England and Wales last year were men.

The average age at time of death is 44, compared to a national average of 76 for men and 81 for women.

The number of people sleeping on the streets of Britain, the world’s fifth-richest economy, has increased dramatically in the past decade.

Homelessness charity Crisis estimates the number of those sleeping outside has risen by 98 per cent since 2010. The latest official statistics said there were 4,751 people sleeping rough in 2016 but Crisis said the figure had been hugely underestimated and was actually closer to 24,000.

“Every year hundreds of people die while homeless,” said Ben Humberstone, the statistics office’s head of health and life events.

“These are some of the most vulnerable members of our society so it was vital that we produced estimates of sufficient quality to properly shine a light on this critical issue.

“Today we have been able to do just that.”

Britain’s Conservative government has vowed to half the number of people sleeping rough by 2022 and completely end rough sleeping by 2027.

“But opposition party MPs say the government is not doing enough. On learning of Remes’s death, Labour Party chairman Ian Lavery spoke of his distress at the number of people sleeping around Westminster tube station.

“Homelessness has drastically escalated since 2010 – a consequence of austerity measures or simply deliberate neglect by a Conservative government that has abandoned hundreds of thousands of people who are in desperate need,” Mr Lavery said.

David Lammy, Labour member for Tottenham, said there was “something rotten when MPs walk past dying homeless people on their way into work”.

Homelessness has drastically escalated, a consequence of austerity measures or simply deliberate neglect IAN LAVERY Chairman, Labour Party