Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has delivered a furious rebuke to police chiefs, branding their failure to implement basic measures to protect women and girls as 'inexcusable'. Her stark warning came in Parliament following the publication of a damning report from the Angiolini Inquiry, which found an 'unacceptable level of inconsistency' across forces in England and Wales.
A National Emergency and a Betrayal of Trust
Addressing MPs on 2nd December 2025, Phillips declared the situation a 'national emergency', stating that women do not feel safe in public spaces. She directly linked the inquiry's findings to the murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021 by off-duty Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, an act she described as 'a betrayal of trust so wretched that it defies belief'.
The minister told the Commons that the long-awaited report by Lady Elish Angiolini exposes a critical failure, with more than one in four police forces lacking fundamental policies for investigating sexual offences. 'The idea that there are police forces in the country without the most basic work being undertaken in this space... it is inexcusable,' Phillips stated.
Angiolini Inquiry's Damning Verdict
Lady Elish's report, launched after Sarah Everard's murder, delivers a scathing assessment. It concludes that until glaring disparities in the response are addressed, violence against women and girls cannot credibly be called a 'national priority'. The inquiry found that promises on prevention remain 'just words' and highlighted a lack of consistent action on recommendations made nearly two years ago.
Key failures identified include:
- Alarming gaps in data on sex offenders, described as 'limited and disjointed'.
- An overstretched system allowing too many perpetrators to 'slip through the cracks'.
- A response that lacks the funding and preventative focus given to other high-priority crimes.
The report makes 13 new recommendations, including considering a 'Good Samaritan' law, improving data collection, and prioritising work with men and boys to tackle misogyny.
Calls for Action and a Family's Heartbreak
From the despatch box, Phillips issued a direct challenge to every chief constable: 'This is a priority - make it a priority.' She vowed the Government remains committed to its pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, with a new strategy due soon.
The human cost of systemic failure was laid bare in a heartbreaking statement from Sarah Everard's mother, Susan, published in the report. She spoke of an 'inner sadness' and being 'tormented by the thought of what she endured'. 'I am accustomed to Sarah no longer being with us, but I rage against it,' she wrote, expressing hope the report would have far-reaching consequences.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called it 'utterly unacceptable' that women feel unsafe, promising to carefully consider all recommendations. The Government has announced a new £13.1 million centre to strengthen the police response. However, Phillips acknowledged the scale of the challenge, stating: 'We find ourselves at a moment of reckoning.'
