Government not learning lessons from deaths of domestic abuse victims, report finds
The voices of women who have died at the hands of a partner or former partner in England and Wales are being ignored and the government is failing to heed warnings from their deaths, a damning report from the domestic abuse commissioner has revealed.An examination of how the government learns lessons from the deaths of domestic abuse victims has found that half of the national recommendations made in domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) are not put into action, with only a quarter fully implemented.The domestic abuse commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, told the Guardian that a study of DHRs – carried out whenever anyone over 16 is murdered in a domestic setting – revealed a “deeply concerning” lack of oversight at the top of government.Between 2019 and 2021 DHRs made 110 national recommendations, the majority of which were for the Home Office.Of these only 25% were fully implemented, while a further 25% were deemed to be happening already, 21% were missing, 20% were partly met and 8% were not met.
The report found that “most shockingly” in the majority of cases government departments were not aware a recommendation had been made to them, and not a single one could confirm they had told the review’s local authors about the action they had taken,Despite the value of DHRs, which were introduced in 2011, the report states: “We currently have no idea the extent to which recommendations and action plans are being implemented on a national level,This is a huge opportunity missed,”Asked if the government was ignoring the voices of women who had been killed, Jacobs said: “Yes, we’re ignoring that tragedy,The whole point of these reviews is to shine a light on what is going wrong.
”Jacobs said that in hundreds of meetings with the families of women who had been killed by domestic abusers, they all spoke of their desire to prevent further murders,Calling for more accountability and central oversight, she added: “What we’re saying at the moment is we’re not willing to put in the work to make sure that we’re doing everything we can so that no one else has to go through this,”The government’s highly anticipated violence against women strategy, part of Keir Starmer’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade, is expected in September,Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, has promised to tackle the “scourge of femicide” and reduce the number of women killed by partners and former partners,But Jacobs said she worried that instead of a “big vision” the government was employing a “spending review strategy” and risked limiting itself to “what was affordable right now”.
She urged Starmer to take control in delivering the promise.“The prime minister and the most senior people in government have got to stop – right now – and take a very hard look to see if their commitments are anywhere near where they need to be,” she said.“This is the critical moment.It is now or never.This is going to be the period where they will either look back in 10 years and say that’s when we made the decisions that really turned the tide on this or when the opportunity was missed.
”Jacobs, who became the first person to hold the post in 2021 when it was created by the Domestic Abuse Act, already has concerns,Failing to put tackling VAWG at the heart of the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS, launched this month was a missed opportunity, she said,Analysis shows that the NHS has more contact with victims and perpetrators than any other public service, but a recent report concluded that the health service is failing victims by not training staff,“When the VAWG strategy is published later this year it must link more closely to the NHS plan to make sure the NHS plays its part in keeping victims and survivors safe,” said Jacobs,Before the review Jacobs – who knows the pressure of the frontline having run a domestic abuse services for 20 years – said it was time for cash-strapped services dealing with abuse victims to get core funding from the government, in the same way that the Domestic Abuse Act imposed a duty on local authorities to provide refuges.
Last year a slew of women’s charities wrote to Starmer to warn him that funding cuts and rising costs would have “dire consequences” for victims of domestic and sexual violence and put the government’s mission to halve violence against females “in jeopardy”.“When those services are not there victims die, are severely harmed and suffer lifelong impacts,” said Jacobs.“There is a tragic human cost to that but an economic cost as well.”A spokesperson for the Home Office said it did a public consultation on DHR in 2024 and was looking at the statutory guidance underpinning the recommendations to ensure “a more effective process”.Phillips said: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of those who have lost a loved one to domestic homicide.
Every single death is a tragedy, and more needs to be done to ensure domestic homicide reviews are effective and timely,“A new oversight board with publicly appointed members and training for review chairs would make sure recommendations went to the right person, and lessons were learned,We cannot afford to have recommendations lost,”In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid,In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732.Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org.This article was amended on 15 July 2025 to clarify that it is referring to the situation in England and Wales, rather than across the UK.
Electric Archer lights up India classic to justify Test return for England
The electric return of Jofra Archer in England’s tight victory against India at Lord’s set straight a couple of narratives that arose during his four-year absence from Test cricket. It is often said that a player’s stock can rise when they are sat on the sidelines – yet sometimes, in some quarters, the reverse can also be true.Chief among them was a reminder that England possess a special fast bowling talent here, Archer displaying the attributes that set him apart from others. As the man himself confidently put it regarding the 89.6mph beauty to Rishabh Pant that angled in, nipped away and gave the snappers the stumplosion they craved: “I guess it was just a matter of when, if I kept bowling like that
Onley and Blackmore lead the charge of young Britons at Tour de France
For more than a decade, the interest in British riders racing in the Tour de France was focused on familiar names – Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas – but now a new generation of English-speaking talent is making its mark on the world’s biggest race.Ben Healy, West Midlands-born but with Irish heritage, has been the revelation of the Tour so far, and was fully rewarded for his unrelenting efforts with the yellow jersey of race leadership on the Bastille Day stage to Puy de Sancy.Healy was briefly a teammate to Tom Pidcock as a teenager before shining as an under-23 rider. Success in the “Baby Giro” in Italy drew him to the attention of the American team, EF Education-EasyPost.More than his results, Healy’s approach to racing, free of the risk-averse tactics of some predecessors, is refreshing and exciting
Hundred sell-off saved up to six counties from possible collapse, new report finds
The windfall generated by the sale of shares in the eight Hundred franchises may have saved as many as six first-class counties from imminent crisis and possible collapse, according to an expert in sport finance who co‑wrote a new report into county cricket.The Leonard Curtis cricket finance report analysed the 18 first-class counties over a decade, identifying a “yawning gap” between the most successful clubs – with Surrey by some distance the most profitable – and the less well-off. Of the £306.1m generated in 2023 just three teams – Surrey, Lancashire and Warwickshire, with income boosted in all three cases by hosting Ashes Tests that year – were responsible for 44%. By contrast the three poorest counties – Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire – between them generated just 5
Victory for Open golf fans as Portrush restaurant backs down on price
A Portrush restaurant chain has been forced to back down on huge price increases after complaints from visitors to the Open. The Ramore Restaurant Group suffered a combination of furious online backlash and ridicule after hiking the price of a chicken pasta dish from £14.95 to £27.95 for Open week.AI generated images online showed local heroes Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke cleaning dishes, alongside commentary suggesting this is what they would have to do to pay a restaurant bill
‘The bigger the better’: Wallabies’ hopes against Lions rest on broadest shoulders
The British & Irish Lions’ last three-nil series victory in Australia was in 1904, but the heavily fancied tourists already have one eye on replicating that feat. Lions back-rower Henry Pollock, in all the wisdom of his 20 years, boasted this week that a whitewash “is definitely on the table”.But in the coming feast of rugby, Australia’s forwards will have read the menu differently. They are led by Rob Valetini, perhaps Australia’s only truly world-class player. Last year he won a second successive John Eales Medal – Australian rugby’s most prestigious individual accolade – becoming the third player after Michael Hooper and Israel Folau to achieve the feat
‘What is the point?’ Scottie Scheffler questions golf and life before Open
Since the age of three, when he was given a plastic set of clubs, Scottie Scheffler has wanted to be the best golfer in the world. He has won three majors, been ranked world No 1 since 2023, and is the favourite for the Open this week. But during an extraordinary press conference at Portrush on Tuesday, the American peered into an existential void as he asked himself: what is the point of it all?Scheffler was clearly happy, and his determination to win this week was clear. He also spoke eloquently on the challenges of links golf. But a hitherto unremarkable press conference suddenly veered into a deeper philosophical search for meaning when the 29-year-old was asked how long he had ever celebrated a victory
Tread carefully with reform of bank ringfencing, chancellor | Nils Pratley
JP Morgan chief defends independence of Fed chair amid Trump attacks
Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot melts down – and then wins a military contract
AI chatbot ‘MechaHitler’ could be making content considered violent extremism, expert witness tells X v eSafety case
Tara Moore, former British No 1 in doubles, handed four-year doping ban
Tour de France’s phoney war gets dose of reality as Pogacar v Vingegaard hits the mountains | William Fotheringham