A homeless man who died outside the Houses of Parliament was a former model who had recently applied for a job as a waiter, according to a homeless charity.

The Portuguese national was found dead in the early hours of Wednesday (February 14) at the parliamentary exit at Westminster Underground station .

Westminster homelessness charity The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields said the man, who has not yet been officially named, stayed at its emergency night centre for "some time".

The centre was helping the man, believed to be in his 40s, find a job and said he had recently applied to be a waiter.

A statement described him as someone with "complex circumstances", who enjoyed singing and attending their yoga classes.

The charity supports around 4,500 people every year in the area, which has a high density of rough sleepers.

More than half the rough sleepers in west London are in Westminster , with 217 people sleeping on the borough's streets in autumn 2017.

The exit, used by MPs to enter Parliament, which is often used by homeless people for shelter

Pam Orchard, chief executive of The Connection, said: “These tragic deaths are not just statistics. Everyone who is homeless is someone’s son or brother or dad.

"He had strengths, talents and skills but he also had problems and things went very wrong for him.

"The support shown by the wider public for him and his situation has been very moving.”

The charity has called for a "specialist clinical treatment service" in Westminster for rough sleepers with drug, alcohol and mental health problems.

The homeless man's body was discovered at Exit 3 on the Parliamentary Estate, in an area often used for shelter by the homeless.

Flowers and cards left by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at the scene

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and several other MPs have responded to the tragedy, which occurred just a few feet from a highly guarded entrance to Parliament used by MPs and civil servants.

Corbyn left flowers and a handwritten card at the scene, reading: "This should never have happened. As a country, we must stop walking by.

"Rest in peace. Jeremy Corbyn."

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