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Keir Starmer has declared the homelessness crisis in England a "moral emergency", as new analysis reveals the number of rough sleepers on a single night could hit almost 10,000 in the next four years.

Mr Starmer - who is widely tipped to run for Labour leader - urged the party to “continue the moral fight against injustice, poverty and homelessness – and give people the hope that another future is possible” despite a disastrous election result.

According to official figures, the estimated number of rough sleepers has risen on average 13% year-on-year since 2010, from 1,768 people to 4,677.

If this trend continues, new figures obtained by Keir Starmer show that the number could hit 9,914 by 2024.

He has called on ministers to take urgent action to tackle the rising crisis over the Christmas period, including adopting Labour’s manifesto call for a £100m fund for emergency winter shelter.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: Getty)

But the shadow Brexit secretary told the Mirror there also needs to be a cultural shift, so that access to good quality housing is treated as a fundamental human right.

Starmer, who has urged the Labour Party not to “oversteer” and completely abandon some of its more radical plans put forward for this election said: “Labour lost the election, but we didn’t lose our values. We must continue the moral fight against injustice, poverty and homelessness – and give people the hope that another future is possible.

“That means relentlessly holding the Tories to account on the promises they made people at the election. We can’t let them off the hook.

“But we must also rebuild Labour around a radical vision for the future that is relevant to people’s lives. We must restore people’s trust in Labour as a force for good.”

It comes as Labour warns the government that extra cash pledged by Boris Johnson to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping is “too little, too late” for thousands of people this Christmas.

(Image: PA)

Downing Street said that £63 million of new money has been made available under a grant scheme which seeks to help homeless households into accommodation.

It added a further £200 million already committed to councils in England has been reallocated as part of efforts to help people who are either homeless or at risk of losing their properties.

But Labour’s shadow housing secretary John Healey said: “This is too little, too late for the thousands of people sleeping on our streets this Christmas.

“Rough sleeping has more than doubled since 2010 as a direct result of decisions made by Conservative ministers, including cuts of £1 billion a year from vital homelessness services.

“Homelessness always rises under the Tories. It will take a Labour government to end rough sleeping for good.”

Figures published by the Government last week showed more than 68,000 households in England were assessed as homeless or facing homelessness during a three-month period this year - an increase of more than 11% compared with the same period last year.

The data also showed that the number of households in temporary accommodation was 86,130 on June 30, up by 4.5% from 82,390 on the same date last year. It emerged after charity Shelter estimated there were 280,000 homeless people in England, or one out of 200 people.