Theresa May to use final days in office to pass new domestic abuse legislation

Theresa May is said to be planning on using her final days in office to make sure new domestic abuse legislation is passed.



The Prime Minister has long made it a priority to update the law in this area but amid fears it could be sidelined by whoever replaces her she wants to get it through Parliament and onto the statute book.

A senior government source told The Sunday Times: “When she entered Downing Street, she promised action on domestic abuse as part of her commitment to tackling society’s burning injustices.

“She will make sure that she delivers on that promise by introducing the domestic abuse bill before she leaves office so there can be no backtracking on the issue by whoever succeeds her.”

The domestic abuse bill is expected to be introduced to the Commons on 16 July, just a week before Mrs May is expected to exit Number 10.

The proposed legislation will introduce a definition of domestic abuse to include “emotional” and “economic” abuse for the first time, and is aimed at making it easier to prosecute perpetrators and provide more support for victims.

It is one of a number of legacy issues the PM has undertaken since she confirmed a date for when she resigns, but the spending implications have caused tension with the Chancellor Philip Hammond.

It has led to Mrs May rebuking him in a veiled attack by pointing out she was still in charge of the country for the time being.

Whilst at the G20 summit in Tokyo she signalled she is determined to press ahead with her plans, including boosting the education budget by £27bn.

She told reporters: “Look, government is continuing. I’ve still got work to do as prime minister until I hand over to my successor.

“And I think it’s important that we continue to take decisions that are right decisions for this country.”

The PM was speaking after urging world leaders to do more on climate change after leading a meeting at the summit.

She called on the rest of the G20 countries to follow the UK’s lead by enshrining in law a commitment to be a net zero emitter of CO2 by 2050.

But instead they were only willing to agree a statement which committed them to the "irreversibility" of the 2015 Paris agreement and pledged the full implementation of its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.