Priti Patel insists new laws will protect women

Home secretary Priti Patel insisted on Monday the UK government was committed to preventing violence against women, as she tried to dispel concerns that proposed new legislation will fail to adequately address the issue. 

In a statement to MPs, Patel said the murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard had “rightly ignited anger” among the public and served as a stark reminder of the everyday harassment faced by women. 

“Too many of us have pretended to be on the phone to a friend to scare someone off,” she said. “Too many of us have clutched our keys in our fist in case we need to defend ourselves — and that is not OK.”

Patel’s attempts to reassure the public follow a flurry of criticism towards Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick after a vigil for Everard held on Saturday on Clapham Common, South London, ended in violent clashes between officers and mourners.

The police made four arrests but images of female participants being restrained on the ground by police sparked widespread condemnation. 

This government is failing to address violence against women and girls and ministers even want to curtail their right to protest about it

Although HM Inspectorate of Constabulary has launched an independent investigation into the actions taken by the police, the prime minister’s spokesperson confirmed on Monday that Boris Johnson had “full confidence” in Dick’s leadership of the Met.

The events over the weekend have intensified public anger and concern over violence against women with additional questions raised regarding police conduct and the handling of sexual assault by the criminal justice system.

On Monday afternoon, hundreds of protesters gathered for a third consecutive day — this time outside parliament — to voice concerns over the actions of the Metropolitan police and to call for tougher laws to protect women.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Patel said the government’s flagship domestic abuse bill was “on track” to come into force by the end of April and would transform the “collective response” to violence against women.

Additional measures including preventive tools and powers to tackle crimes such as stalking, female genital mutilation and upskirting have also been introduced Patel said, adding that the government must not become “complacent”. 

Since Friday, the government has received 78,000 responses to its nationwide consultation on tackling violence against women, the aim of which is to inform the “Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy” due to be published later in the year. 

In an attempt to show his commitment to supporting women, the prime minister was due to chair a meeting of the government’s crime and justice task force later on Monday to discuss what further measures need to be taken to prevent violence against women.

“The fundamental thing is that women have got to feel that when they go to the police with an allegation of violence or harassment, that they will be taken seriously”, Johnson said. 

Meanwhile, MPs will debate the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill on Monday evening, which, if passed, will enable police officers to impose stringent measures on protests, including introducing start and finish times and limits on noise levels. 

The home secretary said the bill would also toughen sentencing for rapists by ending “the halfway release for those convicted of sexual offences”.

However, Labour, who are expected to vote against the legislation, have argued that it does little to protect women and imposes harsh restrictions on the right to protest. “The truth is this government is failing to address violence against women and girls and ministers even want to curtail their right to protest about it,” shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said.

Campaign groups have also criticised the policing bill. Sisters Uncut, a feminist organisation and one of the co-ordinators of Sunday’s New Scotland Yard protest said: “As the actions of police at peaceful vigils this weekend show, police abuse the powers that they already have — and yet the government plans to give them more powers.” 

End Violence Against Women, whose legal challenge against the Crown Prosecution Service’s handling of sexual offences, was dismissed by the High Court on Monday, have also criticised the legislation.

“This bill allows politicians to look like they are being very tough on crime by increasing sentences, but what it ignores is the fact the vast majority of cases of violence against women goes unreported,” Andrea Simon, Director of EVAW added.