Suella Braverman is still pushing for a crackdown on the use of tents by rough sleepers despite a row within the Government, the Daily Express understands.
The Home Secretary wants to punish those who “choose to live in tents” and refuse to get off the streets.
The revelations, first published over the weekend, have triggered rows within Government.
Details of the proposals were expected to be included in the King’s Speech on Tuesday – but were left out amid a row in the Cabinet.
Mrs Braverman wants fines for rough sleepers who have been warned by police about causing a nuisance, such as by refusing to move their tents from shop doorways.
Charities which hand out tents to “nuisance” rough sleepers would also be fined, under Mrs Braverman’s proposals.
But Justice Secretary Alex Chalk refused to defend Ms Braverman’s comments about rough-sleeping being a “lifestyle choice”.
The cabinet minister told Sky News he would “take a different approach”.
Mr Chalk said: “There’s often a very significant context which will be mental health issues, substance abuse problems, relationship breakdown, loss of a job and so on.”
He added: “We shouldn’t do anything which entrenches people’s rough sleeping. Because if you do that, effectively you’re condemning and consigning people to poorer health outcomes … So to be kind you sometimes have to be robust and you sometimes have to be really quite firm.”
Downing Street said further details would be set out when the Criminal Justice Bill was published.
Downing Street sources said that the Home Secretary’s proposals to restrict tents for rough sleepers were still “undergoing scrutiny”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman declined to “speculate” on the proposals, despite Ms Braverman having set them out herself on social media as she warned British cities could “go the way of places in the US like San Francisco and Los Angeles”.
He did not rule them out later appearing in the Criminal Justice Bill, but said its “focus” has already been set out and a briefing note on the legislation contains no mention of rough sleeping.
The controversial tent policy was among a handful of absent Bills.
A ban on conversion therapy practices was also not included in the King’s Speech.
The legislation, first promised in 2018, now looks unlikely to become law before the next general election.
It follows 18 months of speculation about what the bill would include and when it would be published.
It ignited a war of words between different wings of the Tory party, with some vowing to try and force legislation through the House of Commons.
But some on the right of the Tory party have argued it could prevent children questioning their gender identity from receiving professional help, such as
Mr Sunak’s spokesman maintained that conversion therapy is “abhorrent” but said time was needed to work out a policy on the “complex” area as they seek to avoid unintended consequences.
Downing Street also insisted it was still committed to a manifesto pledge to ban imports from trophy hunting, but it was not a feature of new animal welfare reforms.
Mr Sunak’s desire to axe “nutrient neutrality” rules requiring housebuilders to ensure new homes do not add to river pollution was absent after his last bid was defeated in the Lords.
