Starmer promises plans to cut violent crime and increase trust in policing
Sir Keir Starmer will pledge to tackle violence against women and girls with specialist rape units and domestic abuse advisers.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir Keir Starmer will promise to halve levels of violence against women and girls within a decade if Labour takes office.
He will also pledge to halve serious violent crime and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system in the wake of the damning report by Baroness Casey into Scotland Yard.
The Labour leader will claim Rishi Sunak’s Tories are “out of touch” and too detached with the reality of life in some of the country’s most deprived communities.
You can't defeat misogyny without robust policing, but you can't have robust policing without defeating misogyny
In a speech setting out his priorities, former director of public prosecutions Sir Keir will set out the need for police reform and a “proper victims’ law”.
“You can’t defeat misogyny without robust policing, but you can’t have robust policing without defeating misogyny,” he will say.
“We’ll put specialist domestic abuse workers in the control rooms of every police force, responding to 999 calls, supporting victims of abuse. We’ll get a specialist rape unit in every police force.
“And we’ll also set up dedicated rape courts – the current prosecution rates are a disgrace.”
He will say that it is “always working people who pay the heaviest price” for crime, with working class communities too often “living under its shadow”.
Sir Keir will tell an audience in Stoke that “this is personal” as it is the “unfinished business in my life’s work”.
“As somebody who has worked in criminal justice for most of my life, I also know that far too often, the inequalities that still scar our society, class, race, gender, find an expression in the very system that is supposed to protect us all, without discrimination,” he will say.
Labour’s plan would “tackle the crime wave gnawing away at our collective sense of security”.
In an attack on the Tories, Sir Keir will claim they “can’t see the Britain they’ve created”.
“Their kids don’t go to the same schools. Nobody fly-tips on their streets. The threat of violence doesn’t stalk their communities. They don’t see the problems, and so they’re complacent about the need for solutions, out of touch with the realities of modern Britain.
“They should try and walk in your shoes for a day or two.”