Sir Keir Starmer has urged ministers to use the upcoming domestic abuse legislation to overhaul disaster-hit universal credit to protect survivors from controlling partners.
The Labour leadership contender warned that joint payments of the benefit risk trapping women in abusive relationships, as the current system allows abusers to take control of the household budget.
He appealed to ministers to split universal credit payments between couples by default, rather than automatically requiring couples who live together to make a single claim.
The warning comes as the flagship welfare reform – which rolls six working-age benefits into one payment – was hit with fresh delays, with the full roll-out now planned for 2024.
Sir Keir said that the current system of payments gives domestic abusers an “easy mechanism” to commit financial abuse, with a survey by Women’s Aid and the TUC revealing that 52 per cent of people living with their abuser could not afford to leave.
He said: “Ministers have promised that they would bring back the Domestic Abuse Bill. When they do they must take steps to ensure it provides greater financial independence in universal credit payments.
“Joint payments are unnecessary and offer an easy mechanism for abusers to coercively control their partners.
“Universal credit should be scrapped and replaced with a social security system fit for the 21st century. Until then, we must fight to reduce the damage caused by this deeply flawed system.
“Removing the risk of survivors being trapped in abusive relationships is an important first step.”
Official figures show 1.6 million women and 786,000 men experienced domestic abuse in the year up to March 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Long-awaited updates to tackle domestic violence were finally brought forward in 2019 but the bill failed to complete its parliamentary stages before the election in December.
Boris Johnson promised to reintroduce the bill as part of his new legislative programme but no date has been set for when it returns to parliament.
The roll-out of universal credit has been hit by repeated controversies, with claimants facing debt, rent arrears and reliance on food banks due to delays in payments.
Adina Claire, acting co-chief executive of Women’s Aid, told The Independent: “Universal credit was not designed with survivors’ safety in mind.
1/10 Lisa Nandy
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has announced she wil stand for the leadership. In a letter to the Wigan Post she said she wanted to bring Labour “home” to voters in its traditional strongholds who have abandoned the party. Nandy went on to say that she understands “that we have one chance to win back the trust of people in Wigan, Workington and Wrexham.” A YouGov poll shows that Nandy is the first preference for 6% of partymembers.
Getty
2/10 Keir Starmer
The former director of public prosecutions undoubtedly has announced that he is standing for the leadership. He is highly-regarded by both left-wingers and centrists in the party. As Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, he played a key role in the party’s eventual backing of a second referendum.
Before becoming an MP, he was a human rights lawyer – conducting cases in international courts including the European Court of Human Rights. Launching his bid, Starmer said that Labour must listen to the public on how to change “restore trust in our party as a force for good.”
A YouGov poll places him comfortably in the lead as the preferred candidate of 36% of party members
EPA
3/10 Rebecca Long Bailey
A key ally of the current left-wing leadership of the party, the Salford & Eccles MP is viewed in some quarters as the natural successor to Mr Corbyn and describes herself as a “proud socialist”. Highly regarded by the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell. She won also won plaudits for her performance filling in for Corbyn both at prime minister’s questions and during the general election debates.
The shadow business secretary grew up by Old Trafford football ground and began her working life serving at the counter of a pawn shop.
Launching her leadership bid, Long Bailey said the party needs to make the positive case for immigration as a “positive force.” She also broke with Corbyn over Trident, saying “If you have a deterrent you have to be prepared to use it.”
PA
4/10 Emily Thornberry
Corbyn’s constituency neighbour and friend, Emily Thornberry, has been critical of the party’s Brexit stance, but has remained loyal to the leadership and has represented the Labour Party on various overseas visits.
The 59-year-old was brought up on a council estate near Guildford in Surrey by her mother when her father, a human rights lawyer and academic, walked out on his family. “I was born into the Labour Party,” she once said. “I was delivering leaflets by the age I could reach the letter box.”
First elected as MP for Islington South in 2005, the shadow foreign secretary has launched her bid for the leadership, but the party may be looking for a leadership outside its London stronghold.
After winning back her seat in same venue as Corbyn, she said: “We may be hurting tonight but we are not beaten. We will tell Boris Johnson no our fight is not over, our fight is just starting.”
Reuters
5/10 Angela Rayner – Deputy leadership
Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has joined the contest for deputy leadership of the party. After ruling herself out of running for the leadership, the Ashton-under-Lynne MP launched her bid for deputy warning that Labour faces the “biggest challenge” in its history and must “win or die.” She is close with leadership contender Rebecca Long Bailey
PA
6/10 Rosena Allin-Khan – Deputy leadership
Shadow sport minister Rosena Allin-Khan said Labour need to listen with “humility” to lost voters as she launched her bid for the deputy leadership. Writing in The Independent, the MP for Tooting refelcted: “We shouldn’t have ignored the warning signs in Scotland, and now we’ve paid the price in northern England, across the midlands and in Wales.”
PA
7/10 Dawn Butler – Deputy leadership
Shadow women and equalities secretary Dawn Butler was first to announce her bid for the deputy leadership. The Brent Central MP has served in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet since 2016
PA
8/10 Ian Murray – Deputy leadership
Labour’s only MP in Scotland said that the architects of the party’s “catastrophic failure” in the December election can not be allowed to lead the party forward
PA
9/10 Khalid Mahmood – Deputy leadership
Shadow foreign minister Mahmood said living in the West Midlands puts him in the ideal place to win back lost voters as he launched his bid for the deputy leadership. “I’m not part of the metropolitan elite but in Birmingham, the workshop of Britain. I want to rebuild our country and the Labour Party.”
PA
10/10 Richard Burgon – Deputy leadership
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon is standing as a continuity candidate, flaunting his loyalty to Jeremy Corbyn and saying it is wrong to blame the current leader for the election defeat
PA
1/10 Lisa Nandy
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has announced she wil stand for the leadership. In a letter to the Wigan Post she said she wanted to bring Labour “home” to voters in its traditional strongholds who have abandoned the party. Nandy went on to say that she understands “that we have one chance to win back the trust of people in Wigan, Workington and Wrexham.” A YouGov poll shows that Nandy is the first preference for 6% of partymembers.
Getty
2/10 Keir Starmer
The former director of public prosecutions undoubtedly has announced that he is standing for the leadership. He is highly-regarded by both left-wingers and centrists in the party. As Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, he played a key role in the party’s eventual backing of a second referendum.
Before becoming an MP, he was a human rights lawyer – conducting cases in international courts including the European Court of Human Rights. Launching his bid, Starmer said that Labour must listen to the public on how to change “restore trust in our party as a force for good.”
A YouGov poll places him comfortably in the lead as the preferred candidate of 36% of party members
EPA
3/10 Rebecca Long Bailey
A key ally of the current left-wing leadership of the party, the Salford & Eccles MP is viewed in some quarters as the natural successor to Mr Corbyn and describes herself as a “proud socialist”. Highly regarded by the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell. She won also won plaudits for her performance filling in for Corbyn both at prime minister’s questions and during the general election debates.
The shadow business secretary grew up by Old Trafford football ground and began her working life serving at the counter of a pawn shop.
Launching her leadership bid, Long Bailey said the party needs to make the positive case for immigration as a “positive force.” She also broke with Corbyn over Trident, saying “If you have a deterrent you have to be prepared to use it.”
PA
4/10 Emily Thornberry
Corbyn’s constituency neighbour and friend, Emily Thornberry, has been critical of the party’s Brexit stance, but has remained loyal to the leadership and has represented the Labour Party on various overseas visits.
The 59-year-old was brought up on a council estate near Guildford in Surrey by her mother when her father, a human rights lawyer and academic, walked out on his family. “I was born into the Labour Party,” she once said. “I was delivering leaflets by the age I could reach the letter box.”
First elected as MP for Islington South in 2005, the shadow foreign secretary has launched her bid for the leadership, but the party may be looking for a leadership outside its London stronghold.
After winning back her seat in same venue as Corbyn, she said: “We may be hurting tonight but we are not beaten. We will tell Boris Johnson no our fight is not over, our fight is just starting.”
Reuters
5/10 Angela Rayner – Deputy leadership
Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has joined the contest for deputy leadership of the party. After ruling herself out of running for the leadership, the Ashton-under-Lynne MP launched her bid for deputy warning that Labour faces the “biggest challenge” in its history and must “win or die.” She is close with leadership contender Rebecca Long Bailey
PA
6/10 Rosena Allin-Khan – Deputy leadership
Shadow sport minister Rosena Allin-Khan said Labour need to listen with “humility” to lost voters as she launched her bid for the deputy leadership. Writing in The Independent, the MP for Tooting refelcted: “We shouldn’t have ignored the warning signs in Scotland, and now we’ve paid the price in northern England, across the midlands and in Wales.”
PA
7/10 Dawn Butler – Deputy leadership
Shadow women and equalities secretary Dawn Butler was first to announce her bid for the deputy leadership. The Brent Central MP has served in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet since 2016
PA
8/10 Ian Murray – Deputy leadership
Labour’s only MP in Scotland said that the architects of the party’s “catastrophic failure” in the December election can not be allowed to lead the party forward
PA
9/10 Khalid Mahmood – Deputy leadership
Shadow foreign minister Mahmood said living in the West Midlands puts him in the ideal place to win back lost voters as he launched his bid for the deputy leadership. “I’m not part of the metropolitan elite but in Birmingham, the workshop of Britain. I want to rebuild our country and the Labour Party.”
PA
10/10 Richard Burgon – Deputy leadership
Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon is standing as a continuity candidate, flaunting his loyalty to Jeremy Corbyn and saying it is wrong to blame the current leader for the election defeat
PA
“We know that perpetrators will use single household payments as a form of control, restricting access to money, which makes it even harder for a woman to leave.
“We have long been calling for the government to deliver separate payments that protect women’s financial independence, alongside wider reforms to ensure universal credit provides a safety net for every survivor of domestic abuse.”
Sir Keir took an early lead in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, with shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey emerging as his nearest challenger.
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has also secured enough support to make it onto the ballot paper, while shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry is scrambling to make up ground.