Keir Starmer fears he will be “pacing the living room” worried for his 12-year-old daughter’s safety when she starts going out, he admitted today.
The Labour leader, 60, revealed he was braced for worry over the youngster’s wellbeing when she is old enough to go to pubs and clubs.
He was speaking as he announced plans to make spiking drinks a specific offence if Labour enters government.
Disclosing his worries for his daughter, the father of two, who was Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, said: “For every young woman who goes out, this will strike real fear into them - and for parents.
“My daughter is 12 - so not old enough - but I’m already worrying. Just in a few years I can imagine myself pacing the living room every time she’s out, worried.
“There will be many parents in that situation.”
He believed creating a specific offence would make it easier to prosecute the crime.
"Drinks are spiked ... usually of young women out and about and the spiking of the drink has an effect on them and is often a step towards sexual assault of some sort,” he told ITV’s This Morning.
"That has never been a specific offence, so what I'm saying today is an incoming Labour Government would make it a specific offence.
"That would make it easier for people to come forward and report what's happened and easier to prosecute but also raise awareness of what's going on."
The Government has previously rejected recommendations to make lacing drinks a particular crime.
Stamp Out Spiking chief executive Dawn Dines said: “I fully support the need to update or change the law to clearly show that the horrific act of spiking is a recognised criminal offence.
“This will provide protection and hopefully some justice for past victims, but most importantly it will safeguard the public against the actions of the perpetrators.
“We eagerly welcome Labour’s commitment to ensure that this crime, which is all but invisible in crime statistics due to under-reporting, is appropriately identified in law and prosecuted.”
Defending not making spiking a particular offence, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said: “This was something we did consider but felt was covered by existing legislation.
“Obviously targeting women in that war would already be illegal.”
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