MP's night among the homeless

A Tory MP spent a miserable night on the streets in a bid to highlight what he says is Labour's failure to tackle homelessness.

The Conservatives' housing spokesman Grant Shapps awoke to the sound of rain on his sleeping bag after bedding down in Victoria, central London.

The MP for Welwyn Hatfield said: "I was fine for most of the night until about 5am, when the rain started to pour down.

"The biggest lesson is the extent to which you feel incredibly vulnerable on the street."

He admitted his night on the streets was "a publicity stunt".

But he added: "If people on Christmas Day are talking about homelessness, which is an all-year-round problem, then it's served its purpose."

Mr Shapps' decision to take to the pavement came after it emerged that more than 130,000 children will be homeless this Christmas.

But Housing Minister Iain Wright said: "Grant Shapps' publicity bid will simply remind everyone of the Tory years when thousands of people slept rough in boxes in doorways all along the Strand and countless other city streets.

"Rough sleeping and families in temporary accommodation have dropped substantially as a result of Labour policies to undo the damage of the Tory years."

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.