Starmer makes it his ‘personal mission’ to tackle domestic violence

Keir Starmer at a November meeting with frontline staff from a domestic violence refuge in Birmingham. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Keir Starmer has vowed to make it his “personal mission” to stand up for victims of domestic violence, after a collapse in the number of charges brought for the crime.

The Labour leader said that as the director of public prosecutions he had witnessed “the devastating impact domestic violence has on victims and their families”, and how abuse often escalated into other forms of serious violence.