Morning Briefing: homeless man dies on the steps of Parliament

In the news

The national news this morning has focused on the death of a suspected homeless man, who died on the steps of Parliament.

The Huffington Post reports that shocked politicians say the death of the suspected rough sleeper just yards from the entrance to Parliament “must act as a wake-up call for Theresa May to tackle the UK’s growing homelessness crisis”.

A Labour MP claimed that tragedy had been brought “to the government’s door”, while Heather Wheeler, the minister responsible for homelessness, promised that the incident on Wednesday morning would spur her on to do more to help people living on the streets.

The Metro splashed on the news, and reported that homeless people can often be seen sleeping in the “chilly passageway” outside the door to Parliament in the early mornings and that temperatures had dropped below freezing overnight in central London.

The Guardian reports that faulty appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers and fridge freezers are causing more than 60 house fires a week in the UK, according to a Which? investigation.

Government action to remove potentially dangerous electrical white goods from homes is falling “woefully short”, the consumer group warns, as it challenges ministers to explain how the fledgling Office for Product Safety and Standards will tackle the problem.

Its analysis, based on fire data obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests, reveals that the number of fires has stayed at a similar level for five years, with malfunctioning kitchen appliances causing close to 16,000 blazes across the UK since 1 April 2012.

The chief executive of house builder Persimmon has said he never wanted his £110m bonus and that he has decided to give a “substantial” amount of the windfall away through a charitable trust.

Jeff Fairburn declined to say how much he would donate or which charities he would donate to.

The move follows criticism, including from the boss of rival house builder Redrow, over the size of Mr Fairburn’s bonus.

And Windsor Council has dropped its plan to fine rough sleepers after a public backlash. Here’s our story on the council’s original plan.