Strengthening the response to violence against women and girls

Today I’ve written to the Home Secretary to express my full support for the government’s plans to strengthen the response to violence against women and girls.

I know how vital it is that rape and sexual offence cases are handled by specialist, properly trained teams — and I strongly welcome the commitment to establish dedicated investigation teams in every police force.

I also welcome the significant investment being made to support victims at every stage of their journey through the justice system, alongside the rollout of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders.

Here in the Forest of Dean, I’m proud to be working closely with the Hollie Gazzard Trust and to support innovative tools like the Hollieguard app, which is already helping survivors to stay safe and enabling police to build stronger cases.

Victims must always be at the heart of justice — and I will continue pushing for practical, meaningful action to make that a reality.