Labour to put forward a ‘violence against women and girls bill’ in May

The bill would increase sentences for rapists

Keir Starmer plans to put forward a violence against women and girls bill before the Queen's speech in May, the Labour leader told the Times. Following the tragic abduction and death of Sarah Everard, Starmer said "It is astonishing that in 2021 we do not have a comprehensive piece of legislation. The more I turn it over in my mind the more obvious it is." If it became law, the bill would make it an offence to harass women in the street, as well as increasing sentences for rapists and stalkers, ending the injustice of lower sentences for domestic rather than non-domestic murders, and introducing "whole life" sentences for anyone found guilty of the abduction, sexual assault and murder of a stranger. The Labour leader also said he wants women to be able to report crimes to healthcare professionals, as opposed to doing so in a police station, following the success of sexual assault referral clinics. "I don’t care whether I’m a supporter of it, or the Labour Party, or it’s cross-party, or even the government takes it on. Because we can’t go on like this," he said. Starmer revealed these intentions to the Times in a sit down interview published in Sunday's paper this weekend. During the interview the Labour leader also addressed his alarmingly low polling numbers. "I said to the team in December, we’re going to see a vaccine bounce for the government," he said. "It’s an incredible feelgood factor. I also think in the pandemic people are pulled towards their government because they’re so reliant on the government getting it right. So there are reasons. But the polls are also a reminder to me that we’ve got a huge amount of work to do."