Matthew Patrick

Other Members have said what an honour it is to speak in this debate, with such expertise from so many; I have been struck by not just the passion, but the compassion from Members across this Chamber. I am pleased to rise and speak in this debate. Others have mentioned the great work this Labour Government are already doing to reduce and halve violence against women and girls, so, given the time limitations, I will not recount that. I acknowledge that one in four women in the UK will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. In Merseyside last year, nearly 20% of all crimes were related to domestic abuse. I do not think, therefore, we can underestimate the impact of our getting this right. Economic abuse involves an abuser restricting a victim-survivor’s ability to acquire, use and maintain money. It is an insidious form of abuse that means survivors—overwhelmingly women—remain with abusers because they do not have the money or resources to flee. The charity Surviving Economic Abuse, which I have mentioned in this House before, has found that almost 1 million women were prevented from leaving because of this form of abuse—1 million women. Even if a victim-survivor does manage to leave, economic abuse often continues: wrecked credit scores prevent them from accessing the most basic items, such as a mobile phone; joint mortgages tie a survivor to their abuser so they can continue malicious control; perpetrators sometimes cruelly withhold maintenance payments for children or deliberately make unreliable payments, leaving survivors unable to afford the basic needs of them or their children. The Government are serious about changing the story and ensuring that levels of violence against women and girls fall. To do this, they must put economic abuse at the heart of their work. It is the key to breaking the cycle and to helping survivors to rebuild their lives. I heard many harrowing stories during my campaigning of inspiring women facing the most sickening abuse. I pay enormous tribute to one survivor who came forward with her experience—I cannot tell the House the whole story—with Citizens Advice Wirral, which helps such people rebuild their lives. As has been mentioned, support is available from so many people who are doing excellent work. The stories that we have heard show just how important it is that we work in partnership in our communities and in this place to deliver for survivors. In my final moments, I pay tribute to the survivors. Their work and their bravery has pushed Governments of all colours and financial institutions to improve the lives of survivors. They inspire me, and I will continue to work in this place to eradicate economic abuse.