London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jan 24, 2026

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
Starmer Breaks Diplomatic Restraint With Firm Rebuke of Trump, Seizing Chance to Advocate for Europe
UK Finance Minister Reeves to Join Starmer on China Visit to Bolster Trade and Economic Ties
Prince Harry Says Sacrifices of NATO Forces in Afghanistan Deserve ‘Respect’ After Trump Remarks
Barron Trump Emerges as Key Remote Witness in UK Assault and Rape Trial
Nigel Farage Attended Davos 2026 Using HP Trust Delegate Pass Linked to Sasan Ghandehari
Gold Jumps More Than 8% in a Week as the Dollar Slides Amid Greenland Tariff Dispute
BlackRock Executive Rick Rieder Emerges as Leading Contender to Succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair
Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot and LG CLOiD home robot: the platform lock-in fight to control Physical AI
United States under President Donald Trump completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization: health sovereignty versus global outbreak early-warning access
FBI and U.S. prosecutors vs Ryan Wedding’s transnational cocaine-smuggling network: the fight over witness-killing and cross-border enforcement
Trump Administration’s Iran Military Buildup and Sanctions Campaign Puts Deterrence Credibility on the Line
Apple and OpenAI Chase Screenless AI Wearables as the Post-iPhone Interface Battle Heats Up
Tech Brief: AI Compute, Chips, and Platform Power Moves Driving Today’s Market Narrative
NATO’s Stress Test Under Trump: Alliance Credibility, Burden-Sharing, and the Fight Over Strategic Territory
OpenAI’s Money Problem: Explosive Growth, Even Faster Costs, and a Race to Stay Ahead
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
Elizabeth Hurley Tells UK Court of ‘Brutal’ Invasion of Privacy in Phone Hacking Case
UK Bond Yields Climb as Report Fuels Speculation Over Andy Burnham’s Return to Parliament
America’s Venezuela Oil Grip Meets China’s Demand: Market Power, Legal Shockwaves, and the New Rules of Energy Leverage
TikTok’s U.S. Escape Plan: National Security Firewall or Political Theater With a Price Tag?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
Will AI Finally Make Blue-Collar Workers Rich—or Is This Just Elite Tech Spin?
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
Prince Harry Breaks Down in London Court, Says UK Tabloids Have Made Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’
Malin + Goetz UK Business Enters Administration, All Stores Close
EU and UK Reject Trump’s Greenland-Linked Tariff Threats and Pledge Unified Response
UK Deepfake Crackdown Puts Intense Pressure on Musk’s Grok AI After Surge in Non-Consensual Explicit Images
Prince Harry Becomes Emotional in London Court, Invokes Memory of Princess Diana in Testimony Against UK Tabloids
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly but Interest Rate Cuts Still Seen as Likely
AI vs Work: The Battle Over Who Controls the Future of Labor
Buying an Ally’s Territory: Strategic Genius or Geopolitical Breakdown?
AI Everywhere: Power, Money, War, and the Race to Control the Future
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Arctic Power Grab: Security Chessboard or Climate Crime Scene?
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
×