Former Tory MP expresses concerns about safety, attributing potential risks to previous administrations she was part of.
In a poignant speech at a Women for Reform event in London, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, a former Tory MP, voiced her deep concern about the escalating violence against women and girls in the UK. She described the country as "soft touch Britain," where crime often goes unpunished and police resources are insufficient to protect citizens.
Dame Jenkyns shared harrowing personal experiences, including death threats, an activist being chased with a sledgehammer, and a man flashing herself and her son. She emphasized that these incidents are happening in every part of the country, and she no longer feels safe in the UK.
The former minister, who served under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, criticized previous governments, including Conservative ones she served in, for contributing to these problems. She argued that under past administrations, harmful policies undermined safety and social norms. For instance, she pointed out the allowing of children access to puberty blockers and gender transition treatments through the NHS, and altering language by replacing terms like "mother" with "birthing parents" and "breastfeeding" with "chestfeeding."
Sarah Pochin, Reform UK's only female MP, echoed Dame Jenkyns' sentiments, declaring the increasing threat to the safety and security of women and girls as a "national emergency." She alleged that the majority of those arriving in the UK illegally are young military-aged males from predominantly Muslim countries like Afghanistan.
Pochin accused the government of enabling this threat through illegal immigration and criticized the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. She suggested that these males hold a medieval view of women's rights and become sexually frustrated, which she referred to as a "betrayal of our women and girls."
In response, a Labour spokesperson asserted that Reform is incapable of putting forward any kind of credible policies to address the challenges the country faces. They highlighted Reform's opposition to the Online Safety Act, which they believe will protect women and girls online. The Labour spokesperson emphasized that only this Labour government has a serious plan to halve violence against women and girls and make our streets safer.
They also pointed out that Reform MPs voted against crucial new measures to make women and girls safer on the streets. The Labour spokesperson believes these attempts to block Labour's new laws to crack down on perpetrators of violence against women and girls are not credible.
Dame Jenkyns, however, expressed pride in being a mother and having breasts, emphasizing the importance of preserving traditional gender roles and norms. She called for no crime to be considered too small to be punished, advocating for stronger focus on knife crime, better street policing, and deportation of foreign criminals.
Her warnings come at a time when violence against women and girls is a pressing issue in the UK, with many calling for increased safety measures and stricter laws to protect vulnerable individuals. The debate continues as politicians and activists grapple with finding solutions to this complex and pressing problem.
[References] [1] https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/government/100737/dame-andrea-jenkyns-says-uk-is-soft-touch-britain-where-crime-often-goes-unpunished [2] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/29/dame-andrea-jenkyns-says-uk-is-soft-touch-britain-where-crime-often-goes-unpunished [3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62698011 [4] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11195827/Dame-Andrea-Jenkyns-says-UK-soft-touch-Britain-crime-often-goes-unpunished.html
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