'All too often in my constituency casework, I come across instances of sexual harassment, bullying and domestic violence'

MP for Ellesmere Port

Sadly it has taken the high profile murders of Sarah Everard and the killing of Sabina Nessa to reinforce the stark message that nowhere near enough is being done to protect women as they go about their daily business.

Those heinous deaths took place in London but the reality is that women’s safety across the country is not being given the priority it needs, despite concerted efforts to highlight issues over many years in the Houses of Parliament as well as by many community activists up and down the land.All too often in my constituency casework, I come across instances of sexual harassment, bullying and domestic violence. Women and children are forced to leave their homes and end up in refuges in Chester, Ellesmere Port or further afield as they seek protection from their abusers. They then need to secure alternative accommodation in which they and their offspring can feel safe, and often that is not an objective which is in any way easy to achieve. Budget cuts which have led to long delays in court proceedings have also certainly not helped to improve what is regrettably a deep-rooted problem in society reflected in the fact that some men fail consistently to treat women appropriately.

Many women, for their peace of mind, do feel better equipped to deal with any threats to their wellbeing after attending self-defence classes and I am led to believe there has been increased support for some of those organised at the UCEA Academy in Whitby Road in Ellesmere Port in the last couple of weeks. They are held on Wednesdays from 8pm-9pm with a request for a minimum £2 donation per session. However, it is a sad state of affairs that the need is felt for these sessions to be put on in the first place.

Much of the commentary in the last week has been about the role of the police when it comes to protecting women. It almost goes beyond saying that all women and girls must be able to have confidence in the Cheshire Constabulary and other UK police forces to keep them safe. I welcome the inquiry that is now going to take place to try and get to the root of how Sarah’s killer was allowed to be a serving police officer. But there are wider issues in the criminal justice system with the conviction rates for some of the most serious offences against women being woeful and this needs to be addressed as a priority too.

I have received many messages from constituents expressing their anger and dismay at Keir Starmer’s decision to write an article in the Sun. It does not need repeating why people in this area and across the whole of Merseyside would object to him doing so and I have conveyed both my own and my constituents feelings to him on this matter. I hope he takes on board those views and that we do not see a repeated of this.