AT this festive time of Christmas, when we are surrounded by our family and lots of food, we need to spare a thought for those more vulnerable within our community, who don’t have a roof over their head and are increasingly dependent on foodbanks to have enough to eat.

We all remember the terrible news this year of the homeless man who died a stone’s throw away from our nation’s Parliament.

The man who had frequently been seen at the entrance to Westminster underground station was one of the 449 homeless people who died on the streets of Britain in the last year.

Homelessness and rough sleeping are not inevitable in a country as decent and well-off as ours, yet since 2010 the number of people sleeping rough has increased by 169 per cent.

I believe this figure is a terrible reminder of eight years of failure on housing, which has seen a steep drop in investment for new affordable homes; billions of pounds cut from housing benefit; inaction on short-term lets and soaring rents in the private rented sector; and significant cuts to funding for homelessness services.

With the temperatures dropping and icy weather on the horizon, surviving the night becomes an even bigger challenge for those forced to spend the night in the cold.

Last year, to mark the plight of homeless people in the UK and to raise money for some fantastic charities working to combat homelessness, my wife Manveen and I took part in a sleep out in card board boxes in the freezing cold.

We did the same thing again this year, hoping to raise even more money for the London and Slough Run charity, which runs the Slough Winter Night Shelter each year.

The funds raised help run the shelter every night from January to the end of March (typically the coldest months of the winter) and ensure that everyone has a warm place to go to in Slough.

I’m extremely thankful to all those who donated to my BT Donate page, helping us raise almost £5,000 this year, up from the approximate £2,600 we’d raised last year.

The grand total raised by all volunteers for the London and Slough Run charity is about £40,000. It’s important that we support such charities, who do amazing yet unfortunately much needed work in our community.

I will also continue to push against this government’s harsh policies which cause such devastating effects on the individual, as well as families and society.