London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Dec 02, 2025

Jess Phillips: Society has 'just accepted' dead women

Jess Phillips: Society has 'just accepted' dead women

Labour's shadow domestic violence minister, Jess Phillips, has said society has "just accepted" dead women as "one of those things".

She read out the names of 118 women and girls killed in the UK this year, where a man has been charged or convicted as the primary perpetrator, in an International Women's Day debate.

Ms Phillips said there was currently no government research into the data.

Ministers say they have prioritised support for victims during lockdown.

Since being elected in 2015, Ms Phillips has marked the annual International Women's Day debate by remembering the individuals whose lives were taken in the past twelve months.

Reading lists out in the chamber is normally prohibited, but Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing said she was suspending a three-minute time limit on speeches to enable this tradition to go ahead.

'One of those things'


The debate was dominated by tributes to 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who disappeared in south London on 3 March.

A Metropolitan police officer is being questioned on suspicion of murder and kidnap after human remains were found in the search for Ms Everard.

MPs said her death shone a spotlight once more on the scale of the violence against women.

Sarah Everard walked down a busy main road in Clapham before she disappeared

Speaking in the Commons chamber, Ms Phillips said: "In this place we count what we care about.

"We count the vaccines done, the number of people on benefits, we rule or oppose based on a count and we obsessively track that data. We love to count data of our own popularity. However, we don't currently count dead women."

She said there was no government study done into data on victims of domestic abuse who are killed, die by suicide or die suddenly.

"Dead women is a thing we've all just accepted as part of our daily lives," she added.

"Dead women is just one of those things. Killed women are not vanishingly rare. Killed women are common."

Listening to Ms Phillips read out the list of victims, the Labour MP, Rosie Duffield, said it was "impossible not to be overcome as those names echo round the chamber".

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has previously spoken of her personal experience of domestic abuse.

She said: "Every year we bring tissues, we prepare ourselves mentally as well as we can" to list to the "horrific list" but pandemic or not, she said, "women are tired having to pre-empt possible violence and risk assess every action".

SNP deputy leader at Westminster Kirsten Oswald told how she feels walking alone in the dark: "I will not change my behaviour, but do feel scared sometimes", she said.

"I cross the road, I have my keys in my hand, I think about where the street lights are, where the dark alleys are."

"I'm aware and vigilant, because, like all women, I have to be."

The Conservative MP, Sir Bernard Jenkin, said things would only change when there were greater societal changes and "more women in the room" in positions of authority.

"Despite everything that's been achieved for women's rights," he said the debate proved "this is not a job that has been done, it is still very much a job to do".

'Doing the most simple of things'


As vigils highlighting women's safety are being organised following the disappearance of Sarah Everard, more than 200 women have signed an open letter to the government calling for a "firm commitment" to tackle male violence.

The letter, which has been signed by Labour MP Harriet Harman, charity workers and campaigners, says "women are still at risk doing the most simple of things".

"Something has to change - and it cannot be women, the victims in this, to be responsible for leading that charge."

Domestic abuse charities have warned that calls to their helplines have "gone through the roof" since the lockdown began.

More than 40,000 calls and contacts were made to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline in the first three months of the lockdown in 2020.

Under the government's Domestic Abuse Bill, councils in England will get an extra £6m to provide support and safe accommodation for abuse survivors and their families.

The additional money comes on top of a £10m emergency fund given to councils to help domestic abuse survivors during the pandemic.


Jess Phillips lists all women killed in the UK over the last year where a man has been convicted or charged.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
×