Starmer evaded violence against women in major speech

Kate Devlin and Maya Oppenheim, The Independent

Sir Keir Starmer is under fire after failing to mention the “epidemic” of violence against women in a major speech designed to relaunch his struggling government. During the election campaign, the prime minister had made a flagship pledge to voters to ensure the problem was halved in a decade. But leading domestic abuse charity Refuge said it was disappointed the prime minister failed to address the “horrifically high” levels of abuse and set “clear targets” to tackle it in his speech to reset his faltering government five months after stepping into No 10. Sir Keir had reiterated his pledge to crack down on violence against women in an interview as he backed The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign to build a refuge for women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

But it was not mentioned at all in Thursday’s wide-ranging speech which laid out a new set of six “milestones” designed to persuade voters Labour is solving some of the biggest problems facing the country. Abigail Ampofo, interim chief executive of Refuge, said her organisation had welcomed the government’s promise to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade. However, she added that it was “left disappointed” that Sir Keir’s speech “failed not only to address the horrific epidemic of violence against women and girls and domestic abuse that we are in, but to outline any clear targets as to how the government’s pledge will be accomplished”. Ms Ampofo said: “If the government is serious about halving violence against women and girls, we need an action plan now, including improved funding for lifesaving domestic abuse services”. She warned that “many will be unable to continue their crucial work if the government does not step up” with ring-fenced, multi-year funding for specialist organisations. The speech follows a rocky start which has seen Sir Keir’s administration dogged by scandals over “freebies” and the loss of his chief of staff and a cabinet minister. The criticism of his “plan for change” comes after an earlier backlash from healthcare professionals and think tanks. David Challen, son of Sally Challen, who was released from prison in a landmark case after killing her husband after decades of psychological abuse, told The Independent: “I found it disappointing that the key pledge of the Labour manifesto of halving violence against women and girls in the next decade wasn’t even mentioned in Starmer’s speech.

“This shows just how easily this issue gets put on the back burner. Women and girls are routinely killed and abused by men. This is urgent work. This isn’t a background issue. This is a foreground issue. It is immensely frustrating for victims and survivors not to be recognised in the speech.”

In 2019, Sally Challen’s murder conviction was altered to manslaughter and she was allowed to walk free from prison after serving eight years, in a case that marked the first time the defence of coercive and controlling behaviour was used in a murder trial. Alexandra Williams, of prominent domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid, said it was “disappointing that there was no specific mention of this national emergency” in Sir Keir’s speech.

“At least one woman a week is killed by their current or former partner,” she added. “Despite the urgency and severity of this situation, it is not being treated as a priority and more survivors are looking to us every day for support.”

Katie Kempen, chief executive of Victim Support, said: “The government are right to set ambitious goals on reducing gender-based violence. We are eager to hear more about how this will be achieved.”

The charity hit out at the government’s plans to axe funding for support services for victims of crime, including domestic abuse and sexual violence victims.Victim Support warned the 4.2 per cent cut to the funding for victims’ services across England and Wales coincides with charities grappling with hefty financial strain triggered by the government’s rise in national insurance contributions. Funding cuts mean Victim Support will likely be forced to discontinue some services due to battling a deficit of around £3.5m, which amounts to seven per cent of its total income, the organisation said.

On Friday, ministers announced that jealous ex-partners who kill or strangle their victims will receive tougher jail sentences as part of what ministers said was a continued crackdown on violence against women. Downing Street sources pointed to references to violence against women and girls, and the pledge to halve it in a document, released alongside the speech, called “Safer Streets”.

This said that the problem continues to “plague society” and was “integral” to the government’s mission to create safer streets. A No 10 spokesperson said the government has established an “ambitious” goal to halve violence against women and girls in 10 years, adding it is “unwavering in our determination to achieving it”.

They pointed to plans to embed domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms and a new specific offence for spiking drinks. The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign was launched in partnership with Refuge to raise funds to build two houses for women and children escaping abusive partners.