Veterans shouldn't sleep rough this Christmas, Burnham says

Downing Street said the prime minister will personally write to councils across England on Armistice Day (11 November) to urge them to draw up specific plans to offer accommodation for veterans sleeping rough ahead of the festive period. He will say that, going forward, national and local government should work under the "simple principle" that "no one who has served our country should ever be left to sleep rough on our streets".

Burnham will ask local authorities to use part of the additional £874m already announced to tackle homelessness specifically for housing veterans. "People who stepped forward prepared to put their lives on the line for the rest of us should never lack a roof over their head," Burnham said in a statement issued on Saturday.

"When they need help, the country owes them more than warm words.