Oral Answers to Questions

Lorraine Beavers Excerpts

Monday 13th July 2026 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Lorraine Beavers (Blackpool North and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

1. What progress her Department has made on improving the police response to domestic abuse.

[Jonathan Davies (Mid Derbyshire) (Lab)]

2. What progress her Department has made on improving the police response to domestic abuse.

[The Minister for Policing and Crime (Sarah Jones)]

May I associate myself and my colleagues with your remarks about Ann Widdecombe, Mr Speaker? Ann was a Minister when I was doing my politics A-level, and she has been a firm part of our political life for the past three decades. May she rest in peace.

We are rolling out domestic abuse protection orders across England and Wales, and have trebled the number of forces with domestic abuse specialists in control rooms under Raneem’s law. We have established the national centre for violence against women and girls and public protection to transform the response to VAWG.

[Lorraine Beavers]

Kiena Dawes was pushed into taking her own life by her abusive partner. Before she died, she said that he had killed her. With domestic abuse-related suicides on the rise and women in abusive relationships being more likely to take their own life than to be killed by their abuser, will the Minister commit to the Home Office working with victims and campaigners to ensure that the law fully reflects the role that domestic abuse plays in the deaths of people like Kiena?

[Sarah Jones]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising such an important issue, and the answer, of course, is yes. We are funding research with all police forces to better capture information and inform our response. The Law Commission is reviewing homicide law, including the use of manslaughter offences where abuse may have driven someone to suicide. The former Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Yardley (Jess Phillips), was working hard on this issue, and I know that the new Minister will be too.