Homeless man found dead near entrance to British Parliament

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A homeless man was found dead near the entrance of Britain's Parliament building in London on Wednesday, prompting government officials to decry the country's growing homeless rate.

The man, whose name has not been released, was found in the underpass of a subway station for the Parliament building. An ambulance was called but he was pronounced dead on the scene at 7:33 a.m., The Guardian reported.

Labour Party MP Angela Raynor said the man was seen frequently ear the subway entrance.

"Whatever the circumstances it's a terrible tragedy that somebody ends their days like this, the govt must do more to combat homelessness," she tweeted.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who recently proposed purchasing vacant London apartments in to house the homeless, said "the death of a rough sleeper right by the entrance to Parliament" couldn't be ignored.

"The powerful can't carry on walking by on the other side while people don't have a home to call their own," he tweeted. "It's time all MPs took up this moral challenge and properly housed everyone."

While it's not clear what was the cause of the man's death, Britain's homeless rate has increased for seven consecutive years, with an 18 percent increase in London over the past year.

In November, several members of Parliament declared that homelessness in Britain had become a "national crisis."