Priti Patel insisted on Monday that the UK government was committed to preventing violence against women as she tried to dispel concerns that proposed legislation will fail to tackle the issue adequately.
In a statement to MPs, the home secretary said the murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard had “rightly ignited anger” among the public and served as a stark reminder of the everyday harassment faced by women.
“Too many of us have pretended to be on the phone to a friend to scare someone off,” she said. “Too many of us have clutched our keys in our fist in case we need to defend ourselves — and that is not OK.”
Patel’s attempts to reassure the public follow a flurry of criticism directed towards Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan police commissioner, after a vigil for Everard held on Saturday on Clapham Common, south London, ended in violent clashes between officers and mourners.
The police made four arrests but images of female participants being…