Latest news with #Babarinde
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lib Dems determined to drive change on domestic abuse law, says MP at conference
An MP has said the Liberal Democrats are 'determined to drive change' on domestic abuse law after recalling his childhood experiences. Josh Babarinde, the MP for Eastbourne, told the party's spring conference in Harrogate on Saturday that he would table an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to create specific offences for those guilty of domestic abuse. Mr Babarinde has spoken in the past about how his mother and he were subject to abuse from her ex-partner when he was a child. He described his childhood experiences 'seeing broken glass or a kicked-in hoover' and 'not knowing whether mum was OK' to the Commons on Monday. The Eastbourne MP introduced the measure at the conference by saying: 'This mission is pretty personal to me.' He said: 'One in five people will experience domestic abuse in their lifetimes, and that needs to change, but too often, the law leaves survivors without the protection they deserve. 'The Government's emergency early release scheme made that painfully clear last year. Recognising the problems that a scheme like that would cause for survivors, the Government made a commitment to try to exclude domestic abusers from that scheme.' The Government began freeing thousands of inmates early in September in emergency measures to curb jail overcrowding. 'But it hasn't been the case in practise,' Mr Babarinde continued. 'This is because an exclusion of that sort of domestic abusers from an early release scheme can only be made on the basis of the offence committed. 'But there is no specific offence of domestic abuse in the law, so it is impossible at the moment to commit to such a task. 'Instead, many domestic abusers are convicted of general offences like actual bodily harm, assault or battery that do not reflect the full gravity of the abuse.' The Eastbourne MP said that he had discussed the issue with the victims minister who he said had confirmed 'that there is a problem here' and the Government is 'actively considering how we can better identify domestic abuse offenders'. Mr Babarinde added: 'We can only change this through legislation, and I'm determined to drive that change on behalf of our party. 'We have rallied together MPs from across the house to back this, including, crucially, some Labour MPs who are privately offering their support and who look increasingly willing to speak out.'
The Independent
22-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Lib Dems determined to drive change on domestic abuse law, says MP at conference
An MP has said the Liberal Democrats are 'determined to drive change' on domestic abuse law after recalling his childhood experiences. Josh Babarinde, the MP for Eastbourne, told the party's spring conference in Harrogate on Saturday that he would table an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to create specific offences for those guilty of domestic abuse. Mr Babarinde has spoken in the past about how his mother and he were subject to abuse from her ex-partner when he was a child. He described his childhood experiences 'seeing broken glass or a kicked-in hoover' and 'not knowing whether mum was OK' to the Commons on Monday. The Eastbourne MP introduced the measure at the conference by saying: 'This mission is pretty personal to me.' He said: 'One in five people will experience domestic abuse in their lifetimes, and that needs to change, but too often, the law leaves survivors without the protection they deserve. 'The Government's emergency early release scheme made that painfully clear last year. Recognising the problems that a scheme like that would cause for survivors, the Government made a commitment to try to exclude domestic abusers from that scheme.' The Government began freeing thousands of inmates early in September in emergency measures to curb jail overcrowding. 'But it hasn't been the case in practise,' Mr Babarinde continued. 'This is because an exclusion of that sort of domestic abusers from an early release scheme can only be made on the basis of the offence committed. 'But there is no specific offence of domestic abuse in the law, so it is impossible at the moment to commit to such a task. 'Instead, many domestic abusers are convicted of general offences like actual bodily harm, assault or battery that do not reflect the full gravity of the abuse.' The Eastbourne MP said that he had discussed the issue with the victims minister who he said had confirmed 'that there is a problem here' and the Government is 'actively considering how we can better identify domestic abuse offenders'. Mr Babarinde added: 'We can only change this through legislation, and I'm determined to drive that change on behalf of our party. 'We have rallied together MPs from across the house to back this, including, crucially, some Labour MPs who are privately offering their support and who look increasingly willing to speak out.'
The Independent
17-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Need for domestic abuse offence is ‘national emergency', says MP in Commons call
An MP who recalled his childhood experiences seeing 'broken glass or a kicked-in Hoover' has described the need for a domestic abuse offence as a 'national emergency'. Josh Babarinde said offences like grievous bodily harm (GBH) and assault could be labelled 'domestic abuse aggravated' to distinguish them from other forms of violence. The Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne suggested that without a specific offence, initiatives such as Clare's Law are weakened if abusers can 'explain away' their crimes. Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones warned that Mr Babarinde's proposal would risk creating a narrow definition of domestic abuse, particularly in cases where survivors do not experience physical violence. Mr Babarinde told the Commons: 'I know what it is to be crying upstairs under the covers as a child, listening to shouting, screaming, smashing and the rest coming from downstairs and not knowing if mum was OK. 'I know what it is to go downstairs the morning after and see broken glass or a kicked-in Hoover and the rest, and to not know whether mum was OK. 'I know what it is to live in a household where you're worried that any word that you say, any movement that you do, any thought that you might have, can be attacked by an abuser in your own home who's meant to keep you safe and who you are meant to trust.' Mr Babarinde said creating the specific offence of domestic abuse would be 'patching up what is a legal loophole', with the justice system treating crimes between couples and family members as specific offences such as GBH or assault. He proposed a 'series of domestic abuse aggravated offences in the law, so in the same way that we have racially and religiously aggravated ABH, GBH, assault etcetera, we would have a domestic abuse aggravated equivalent'. The MP referred to a written question he tabled in January when he asked the Ministry of Justice how many domestic abusers were serving prison sentences in England and Wales. The department found it was 'not possible to robustly calculate the number of domestic abusers in prison or their reoffending rate' because their crimes 'are recorded under the specific offences for which they are prosecuted, such as intentional strangulation or suffocation'. Mr Babarinde told MPs that the lack of data was a 'national scandal', adding: 'The Government has a really powerful ambition that I fully support to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade, but how can we possibly know if we're achieving that if we don't know how many domestic abusers are in prison at any given time?' Turning to Clare's Law (the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme), which allows people to request information about their current or ex-partner's past charges or convictions if they are worried about a history of abuse, Mr Babarinde said: 'It would be very easy for an abusive partner to explain away a conviction or a charge for assault or battery as a brawl between them and a stranger in a pub, say. 'But can you explain away domestic abuse aggravated assault in the same way? No.' Ms Davies-Jones said in response: 'I am not convinced that his particular solution to create that series of domestic abuse aggravated offences is the right one. But I am concerned about the unintended consequences of trying to capture and define, via a list of specific offences, the full spectrum of offences in which domestic abuse could be a factor. As we've heard this evening, it is very vast. 'I am extremely wary that attempting to do so could unwittingly create a system in which some offences are deemed serious enough to constitute offences which could be aggravated by domestic abuse, whereas other offences in which domestic abuse could play a part, are not. 'We should not, for example, return to the outdated view that domestic abuse only involves physical violence.' The minister later added: 'This Government is dedicated to ensuring that the harm caused by offences typically committed against women and girls, including domestic abuse, is appropriately and proportionately reflected in the sentencing framework.'
The Independent
17-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Only one in three women fleeing domestic abuse can be helped by refuges as services on ‘brink of collapse'
Only one in three women fleeing domestic abuse can be helped by refuges, the chief executive of Women's Aid has said, warning that the sector's services are on the brink of collapse. Giving evidence to the Commons Public Accounts Committee, Farah Nazeer warned that she has seen more services close – or sit on the brink of closure – in the last 7 months than she has in the previous four years. 'We are in a real state of crisis and we are now at a point where we have a 65 per cent refusal rate into refuges, and a 50 per cent refusal rate into community based services', she said. 'You have survivors desperate to access services, and people don't go to services as a first resort, they go as a last resort - so they are at a point of crisis generally and [these services] are saying no. 'So, in the current equation, we have no way of even beginning to address this issue.' The warnings come after construction began on two safe houses for survivors of domestic abuse and their children, which are being built as a result of The Independent's hugely successful Brick by Brick campaign. The campaign, in partnership with Refuge, raised more than £500,000 in total and the two safe houses are expected to be completed by spring. Explaining the problem facing services, Ms Nazeer said: 'Demand is as high as it ever was. Demand has become more complex since Covid - people have lived in circumstances that are very challenging for longer period of times.' Meanwhile, funding has become more volatile, meaning that services are 'haemorrhaging very experienced staff', she said. Giving evidence alongside Ms Nazeer, Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, warned that 'we haven't touched the sides of what we need to do' when it comes to tackling violence against women and girls. While Ms Jacobs said she doesn't want to ignore the 'strides that have been made' in this area, she added: 'The fact is, we still have some very chronic fundamental problems that have been left unaddressed.' The deep concerns come as Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Josh Babarinde continued to push for a new law specifically making domestic abuse a crime. Currently domestic abuse is only covered by other crimes, such as assault or grievous bodily harm. Mr Babarinde used an adjournment speech in parliament to push for a specific law to be created as part of the Crime and Policing Bill going through parliament. It comes after ministers admitted they have no idea how many people guilty of domestic abuse are in Britain's jails. A number were allowed out early as a result of measures taken to tackle overcrowding. Mr Babarinde told The Independent: 'It is extraordinary that it is impossible to say how many people in prison are guilty of domestic abuse. How on earth can the government commit to halving violence against women and girls over the next decade (a very good aim) if the MoJ isn't even measuring domestic abuse? 'And how can we know what interventions are successful at reducing reoffending among domestic abusers if the government is not able to measure their reoffending rate? It is a scandal.' The government has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Asylum housing plans dropped after objections
The Home Office has dropped plans to convert a former hospital into accommodation for asylum seekers following pressure from the council and MP. The government and accommodation provider Clearsprings Ready Homes were looking to use the unoccupied Esperance Hospital in Eastbourne as temporary accommodation for up to 125 people seeking asylum. Although nothing had been agreed, Eastbourne Borough Council objected to the scheme, while Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde urged the government to reconsider. The Home Office said it did not comment on individual accommodation sites. Babarinde wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in January to express "serious concerns" about the plans. He said issues including a lack of school places, GP appointments and an already-significant homeless crisis had not been adequately addressed. The MP also thought there had been a lack of consultation on the proposals. Following the news of the plans being dropped, Babarinde said: "Eastbourne is a compassionate and inclusive town and we do play our part - but mass accommodation schemes like the one that was proposed are not the way." Stephen Holt, Eastbourne Borough Council's leader, said: "I made very clear to the Home Office that this site was inappropriate, and this is a result of our continued representations." He added that it was "the right decision for our town." While Robert Smart, the town's Conservative party leader, said: "While this decision is welcome, it should never have been considered in the first place." The Esperance Hospital in Eastbourne operated from the 1920s until its closure in July 2019. Work has since been carried out to convert the building into 45 flats. The 52-room private hospital, which was previously run by BMI Healthcare Ltd, has been vacant since March 2020. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Former hospital could become asylum accommodation Government scraps plans for £15m asylum camp Use of Hove hotel for child asylum seekers to end Home Office Eastbourne Borough Council
