A new tent city has been spotted in London’s Charing Cross, days after bailiffs moved to evict a migrant camp at Park Lane. The video of the sprawling encampment was posted to X social media by a blogger called Chris Rose, who calls himself a “Conservative”.
The clip shows at least twenty tents at Charing Cross stretched out along a pavement. At least two half-naked people can be seen lying asleep on the pavement, as the camera pans along the street. The person holding the camera can be heard saying: “This is madness. Backstreet, you know, of central London.
“Wow what the f***. Crazy. This is the backstreets of London, look. What’s going on.”
The blogger blamed London’s mayor Sir Sadiq Khan for the encampment in a statement accompanying the video post. “This is the backstreets of Charing Cross. Abysmal,” he wrote. “Sadiq Khan received a Knighthood whilst parts of London are turning into the terrible areas of San Francisco.”
London has seen a surge in people living on the streets, according to new data published by Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) at the end of June.
Overall, the number of people forced to sleep rough in the capital from April 2024 to March 2025 was 13,231 – a 10% rise from the same period the year before. This is more than five times what it was in 2005 and has prompted charities to call for urgent action to help solve the problem.
“These figures demonstrate a tragic failure at all levels to help people out of extreme poverty and away from the streets,” said Matt Downie, Chief Executive at Crisis. “No one should be forced to sleep or live on the streets because they have nowhere else to go.”
The mayor of London has vowed to end the “trauma” of people who have to be sleeping on the streets before they can access support. Sir Sadiq Khan has secured £17 million in capital funding from central government for his action plan, which aims to end rough sleeping by 2030.
The plan includes refurbishing up to 500 new empty homes and opening a new Ending Homelessness Hub.
“We know the best way to end rough sleeping is to stop it before it starts,” he said. “That’s why we’re putting prevention at the heart of our response, extending our network of Ending Homelessness Hubs, that provide 24/7 support to those most at risk of sleeping rough.”
