London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Mar 10, 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
Roman Abramovich Signals Legal Fight if UK Seeks to Seize Chelsea Sale Funds
UK Ready to Back Emergency Oil Reserve Release as Middle East Conflict Pushes Prices Higher
Study of 40,000 Articles Sparks Debate Over Alleged Anti-Muslim Bias in UK Media
US and UK Army Chiefs Strengthen Cooperation on the Future of Armored Warfare
Britain’s Search for the Next ARM Intensifies as Startups and Investors Target the Semiconductor Frontier
Three US Strategic Bombers Arrive at RAF Fairford as Iran Conflict Intensifies
Cancer Death Rates in the UK Fall to the Lowest Level on Record
UK Government Bond Yields Retreat Slightly After Sharp Spike Triggered by Middle East Conflict
UK Chancellor Warns Middle East War Could Push Inflation Higher
UK Prime Minister Warns Iran Conflict Could Drive Up Prices and Threaten Economic Stability
Trump Declines UK Offer to Deploy Aircraft Carriers to Middle East Amid Iran Conflict
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Return to Australia After Seven Years for Philanthropic and Business Engagements
UK Government Signals Independence From Washington as Cooper Says Britain Does Not Agree With Trump on Every Issue
UK Experts Warn AI Chatbots Are Fueling Surge in Claims of Organised ‘Satanic’ Ritual Abuse
UK Political Parties Divided Over Strategy as Iran Conflict Reshapes Foreign Policy Debate
Britain Discloses Secret Military Repair Hubs Operating Inside Ukraine
Trump Says US No Longer Needs UK Carrier Support After Delayed Offer Amid Iran Conflict
Why Britain Has Become Involved in the US-Israel Military Campaign Against Iran
UK Gas Storage Falls to Under Two Days as Iran Conflict Jolts Global Energy Markets
UK Warned to Brace for Economic Shock as Iran War Drives Global Energy Price Surge
Starmer and Trump Hold First Call After Public Dispute Over Iran Conflict
UK Dentists Returned £1.3 Billion to Government as Shift Toward Private Care Accelerates
Expert Warns UK Must Build Emergency Food Stockpiles to Prepare for Climate Shocks or War
UK Plans Charter Flight to Evacuate British Nationals from Gulf as Regional Conflict Disrupts Air Travel
Families of Zimbabwe’s Liberation Fighters Call on Britain to Help Locate Skulls Taken During Colonial War
Iran’s Ambassador Warns Britain to ‘Be Very Careful’ Over Deeper Role in Expanding Middle East War
UK Military Leadership Defends Britain’s Defensive Role in Expanding Middle East Conflict
Four U.S. Strategic Bombers Arrive in Britain as Iran War Intensifies
Soham Murderer Ian Huntley Dies After Violent Attack in High-Security Prison
UK Lawmakers and Experts Condemn Scale of Overseas Human Remains Held in British Museums
Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Placed on Standby for Potential Deployment
United Kingdom Confirms U.S. Military Using British Bases for Operations Targeting Iranian Missile Sites
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
×