THE names of more than 100 women who were murdered by men in the last 12 months were read out in the Commons today while MPs listened in silence.

Labour’s Jess Phillips told ministers that the growing epidemic of violence against women must prompt the “same level of horror” and swift action as other crises, such as terrorism and the coronavirus outbreak, which have led to meetings of the Cobra emergency committee being called.

The Birmingham Yardley MP took more than four minutes to read out the names during a debate marking International Women’s Day, which is on Sunday.

Ms Phillips said: “I am afraid that the statistics released recently show this is unfortunately not a number that goes down, but is in fact a number that is going up.”

She noted that five of the women had been murdered alongside their friend, husband or partner, with four of those women being killed by their sons.

Ms Phillips told MPs: “Far, far greater response is made to almost every other epidemic than the epidemic of male violence against women.”

Also in the Commons, Tory former Home Office minister Caroline Nokes criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government for its gender pay gap, male-dominated Cabinet and delay in passing the Domestic Abuse Bill.

The women and equalities committee said the near 50-50 balance between men and women on the government payroll may have been reached “by putting women onto the first rung, the unpaid payroll.”

Meanwhile, shadow women’s minister Dawn Butler called for the creation of a stand-alone women and equalities department.

“That way, we would not have to wait once a year to have a dedicated debate,” the Labour MP added.