“Hold the government to account, hold me to account.” Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, sits on a padded purple chair in the middle of an empty classroom in south-east London. The students have long since left as the clock approaches 5PM, but given it’s a place where young minds are shaped, it’s an apt location to discuss his government’s highly ambitious new strategy – one aiming to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade.
Starmer first made the promise back in the summer of 2024, in Labour’s election manifesto. However, the roadmap detailing exactly how that might be achieved has only just been rolled out after three delays – causing significant concern for organisations and survivors feeding into it, including Refuge and Rights of Women.
To mark the launch, Cosmopolitan UK was granted an exclusive chat with the Prime Minister to interrogate his plans and priorities – and whether or not they can truly deliver on what women need.
BREAKING DOWN THE FACTS
As women, we all know how heavy the additional mental load of trying to stay safe feels – ask a man when he last texted a mate ‘Did you make it home ok? x’ and his answer will likely be ‘never’.
Statistics linked to male-perpetrated violence are so grim that VAWG has been declared a national emergency. Rape Crisis estimates 1 in four women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime, along with 1 in 18 men. A woman is killed by a man every three days, while one in five of us will be stalked. The perpetrators? Overwhelmingly male, undefined by colour or creed (despite recent anti-immigration rhetoric).
Reducing VAWG is not an easy task. No other government has dared put a specific target on its efforts. But on this dark, wintery day in Greenwich, Starmer has spent the afternoon, along with actor Olivia Colman (an ambassador) and Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, doing just that. The trio have observed students interacting with Tender, an organisation encouraging discussions on consent and healthy relationships. It is urgent work: 39% of those aged 13 to 17 who’ve been in a romantic relationship have already experienced some form of emotional or physical abuse.
Thinking of the young girls (and boys) I previously passed in the school lobby, that data feels even sadder. They are children, who should be concerned with nothing more sinister than homework – yet, the dark figures are also depressingly unsurprising.
They live against a backdrop of algorithms that profit from – and pump out – misogynistic content to young boys within half an hour of them being online, according to Vodafone, whether they seek it or not. Something contributing to a 70% rise in sexist language inside classrooms. Additionally, new forms of tech-based abuse – from non-consensual deepfakes to easy-to-buy spyware that tracks a woman's every move – is constantly evolving, leaving governments scrambling in response.
But really, what good can another new law or well-intended strategy do, unless there’s a dramatic vibe shift to accompany it? And how do those in the VAWG sector feel about the PM’s plans?
OVERHAULING ATTITUDES
Two weeks before our interview, Cosmopolitan UK hovered at the back of a busy Downing Street meeting room, prior to Phillips and other department reps consulting organisations and survivors on the VAWG strategy, pre-launch. To kick things off, Starmer gave a moving speech, stressing the meeting’s location was “intended to be symbolic” inviting those in attendance to “treat his place of work as [their own]”.
This goal, of improving women and girls’ lives, the PM says, is what he hopes will become his government’s legacy – a striking positive amongst the deeply negative press it regularly receives, with those on the left frustrated at Starmer’s seeming lack of conviction and radically liberal policies, versus those on the right who’ve dubbed him a ‘lefty lawyer’ incapable of controlling immigration. It is a difficult space to exist in.
Keen to ensure we reflect the opinions of both the PM’s fans, critics and those who are indifferent, we asked you, our readers, and relevant charities to submit questions on what you really want to know about his VAWG plans.
One subject that came up again (and again) was annihilating VAWG at its root. When I play the Prime Minister a voice note from Liverpudlian reader, Faye, asking how he can stop algorithms from serving toxic content, Starmer is nondescript, saying the government has levers at its disposal without identifying any, adding “the thing that’s really going to shift the dial in the end is culture”. It’s not exactly the detailed answer we were hoping for. Thankfully, pushing back on the likes of Meta, TikTok and YouTube is a point End Violence Against Women says it will continue to “pressure” the government on, given that Ofcom’s latest VAWG guidance for platforms is strong, but a lot is not mandatory.
In the Prime Minister’s eyes, we must take an “all-society, all-government” three-pronged approach (proactive prevention, pursuing perpetrators and supporting survivors). A major focus is on education, alongside banning nudifying apps and strangulation scenes in porn, and training healthcare workers to spot the signs of abuse. Students will now be taught the ‘difference between porn and real life’ and have media literacy lessons. Those who display misogynistic behaviour may undertake a correction course following a teacher referral.
When we raise the fact many educators are already burnt out from acting like social workers, the Prime Minister assures me they will be properly resourced for this new challenge – but the minutiae is still to follow, as pilot programmes are tested and evaluated.
Responding, the National Union of Educators welcomed the government’s recognition of the roles teachers play, but urged they must be “given appropriate time and space to do this important work”. It adds “tech giants must take responsibility [...] public contracts should not reward platforms that allow misogyny and hate to flourish”.
As a father or two teenagers, named only as ‘my girl’ and ‘my boy’ when mentioned publicly, Starmer says he’s “well aware of how significant social media is to all young people” (despite not personally scrolling TikTok).
“For young boys, I can see the attraction [of manosphere influencers, like Andrew Tate], because here is someone presenting as successful, rich, with private jets, but huge amounts of misogyny are going with it,” Starmer reflects, when we discuss the plethora of content telling men and boys they have ‘no value’ unless they’re muscular, wealthy and view women as objects to dominate. “What they’re seeing is very difficult for them to deal with.”
Tate, despite being accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend, trafficking and rape (which he has denied), is viewed favourably by almost a quarter of teenage boys, according to one poll. And although the most high-profile, he is just one of many voices telling men ‘depression is a choice’ and ‘women should be subservient’.
After pausing mid-chat to relieve a coughing fit with a swig of water (hours of promoting a new strategy will do that to a PM), Starmer is clear prevention cannot stop at schools either, stating “there is absolutely no solution that doesn’t involve men and boys.”
He argues that while men have historically struggled to open up, cultural shifts are possible, citing footballers discussing mental health as an example. Taking sports as a starting point, UN Women UK, another organisation that advised on the strategy, recently launched its Same Side campaign, fronted by athletes and offering a conversation guide for those trying to discuss the manosphere with young men in their own lives.
THE POWER OF LISTENING
At Cosmopolitan UK, we believe it’s vital that victim-survivors’ voices are prioritised when discussing abuse of any kind. Is this something the PM does personally, or does he just sit in his office receiving abstract briefings? Likely it’s a mix of both, but when asked, Starmer says earnestly that he is listening – not “just for the sake of saying, ‘I’ve had a conversation’”.
It’s something he claims to have done since his tenure as Director of the Crown Prosecution Service, which began in 2008 and ended in 2013. He recalls arranging to meet John and Penny Clough, bereaved parents of Jane, a nurse brutally stabbed outside the hospital where she worked back in 2010 by her abusive ex, who was released on bail after raping her. However, Starmer’s initially-scheduled meeting with the Cloughs was derailed by the birth of his own daughter, something that weighed heavily on the politician’s mind when they eventually sat down.
“They wanted to tell me how awful the service they’d gotten from my department was,” he shares. “When they came, I said, ‘I'm not going to talk at you, tell me your story’ and by the end of it, I said ‘I'm going to work with you to change this’. Almost everything I've done has come from those experiences.” The Cloughs, he tells me, are now good friends who he is proud to campaign alongside. He has mentioned them in several interviews.
“I don't actually know, as a dad, how I would react if one of my children was murdered,” Starmer adds. “I have profound respect for Penny and John, who've been able to deal with something as awful as that and turn it into a campaign [to introduce appeals against bail rulings].”
In a rare moment of candour for the politician, who is often accused of lacking personality, the Labour leader recalls another moment that opened his eyes to the trauma victim-survivors face when reporting sexual violence.
“I remember feeling distinctly uncomfortable in a training session with my staff, when I was prosecutor, when we were asked to shut our eyes and think about our best sexual experience,” Starmer says, as the camera crew recording our interview leans in with renewed interest. “Then we were told: now speak to the member of staff to your left and tell them what it was.”
He recalls stuttering alongside colleagues, “Everyone [said] ‘I don’t think I can really say…’, but the point they were making was to imagine the worst sexual experience of your life, the most awful. How on earth would you begin to tell that story, over and over again to strangers?
“We say we want people to report – and we do – but if we can’t even talk about our best sexual experience with people we work with, because we feel embarrassed, imagine having to talk to someone you’ve never met about the worst thing that’s ever happened to you sexually.”
Starmer recognises this, combined with lengthy waits for cases to get to court, sees many (understandably) drop out of the justice process.
“I’m frankly fed up with stories of victims of rape or serious violence having to wait three or four years for their case to come to court,” he affirms. “That is not tolerable.” But the backlog remains, and Labour’s proposed plans to truncate it by limiting jurors solely to major offences have been met with significant opposition.
CENTRING VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS
When asked directly what reporting a rape will look like in six months’ time under his new VAWG strategy, the Prime Minister’s hopes are clear: “Where you report it, how you report it, how you’re supported if you come forward – and how long the journey will be before you get to court – should all feel different.” Starmer also acknowledged that many rape cases are historic and that “for the vast majority of people it takes time, sometimes years, before they feel able to come forward”.
The newly published VAWG Action Plan broadly reflects that emphasis on support rather than speed, committing to specialist sexual offences teams in every police force, expanded access to independent legal advisers for adult rape victims and trauma-informed training for police and court staff by spring 2026.
However, the document stops short of guaranteeing firm timelines for rape cases, instead describing current delays as “unacceptable” and promising to accelerate progress through court reform and the extension of Operation Soteria (a victim-centred overhaul of rape investigations), without setting a maximum timescale for resolution.
Cosmopolitan UK also followed up with the government’s press team over concerns raised by trans women and organisations, like EVAW, that minority groups facing specific risks and barriers had not been adequately addressed. In response, a Home Office spokesperson said, “This strategy is about bringing about nationwide change for all women. We know certain protected groups are more likely to be a victim of domestic abuse, and it can impact their experience with the police and justice system.
“That is why we give funding to victims’ groups who can offer tailored support, and we are grateful for the work they do.” Details on which groups are formally backed is yet to be shared.
MONEY TALKS
As ever, while the plans largely sound good on paper, ultimately whether or not they can succeed will boil down to money and consistency. Survivors’ organisations warn funding gaps are having dire consequences, stressing around 60% of women fleeing abuse are turned away from refuge spaces: there simply isn’t room. Additionally, three Rape Crisis centres have shuttered in the past year, with more than a quarter fearing they may soon follow.
“We have made new provision for housing and safe accommodation,” Starmer highlights. “Why is it the survivor or victim that has to do the moving? Obviously in some circumstances that has to happen [for safety], but it shouldn’t always be the case.”
The VAWG strategy promises that internally, the government will review its progress every three months to remain accountable in a meeting, with varying key departments required to attend from health to education (this cross-team involvement is something most of the nine organisations I liaised with about the strategy pre-release said they wanted to see included).
When pushed on the finances and chronic underfunding, Starmer told Cosmopolitan UK, “if you take all the money we’re putting in, it’s over a billion pounds”, describing it as “a significant sum”.
However, when pressed on the reality of where this would come from, given that VAWG was not referenced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ most recent budget, Starmer conceded “some of it is new money, some of it is existing money.” Details of the breakdown and how precisely it will be distributed are not wholly clear.
Weighing in, Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, the UK’s largest domestic abuse organisation, said the VAWG strategy is full of promise but “fails to meaningfully address the deep and ongoing underfunding of specialist support services”. Put simply, she adds, the newly allocated £6.3 million per year to be invested in safe accommodation “is not enough to support the many survivors in desperate need of somewhere safe to rebuild their lives”.
Starmer was frank in addressing these constraints, explaining his cabinet must “balance the budget across the whole of government”.
Ultimately, halving violence against women and girls will not be judged by strategies, speeches or even funding announcements, but by whether or not we can stop sending those ‘Did you make it home ok? x’ texts and the bleak statistics on assaults, abuse and murder.
Starmer’s willingness to invite personal scrutiny – telling readers to “hold me to account, it is personal” if the strategy fails – is at least somewhat heartening. On the whole, feedback from the organisations that work day-in, day-out with survivors appears to be that of cautious optimism and appreciation of the plan’s ambitions, but they are adamant financial shortfalls must urgently be met in order for it to succeed.
Whether or not it’s possible to build a culture that challenges misogyny, out of one that has seemingly normalised it, exists under a question mark – least not because it involves trying to out-influence the tech bro-ligarchy, who generally seem disinterested in the cause. Even the new head of MI6, its first female leader in 116 years (a reminder that progress is possible), Blaise Metreweli, highlighted in her debut speech that “some algorithms [have now] become as powerful as states”. Can any government ever truly compete?
Starmer acknowledges there’s a “bumpy road” ahead. Whether his team stays the course – especially once the headlines have moved on – will be the real test. And we at Cosmopolitan UK will continue to be here, getting your voices heard, your questions answered, holding him to account.
For support with sexual violence, contact Rape Crisis on its free 24/7 Support Line on 0808 500 2222 or chat online at 247sexualabusesupport.org.uk
For support with abuse, contact Refuge on its free 24/7 helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit refuge.org.uk
For support with image-based abuse, the Revenge Porn Helpline is free and open 10am - 4pm Monday to Friday on 0345 6000 459
Follow Cosmopolitan's Features Editor, Jennifer Savin, on Instagram
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
