Atkins added: “I have great confidence that the message will have got through loud and clear from today’s statement that this House will make sure that they give as much commitment to this agenda as we all have done so far.”

Maria Miller, the Tory chair of the APPG on domestic violence, told BuzzFeed News the bill would go ahead, because it had the support of the whole party. But speaking in the chamber, Labour MP Harriet Harman, who has been campaigning on equality issues over almost four decades in Parliament, questioned its future: “What happens next? Neither of the two leadership candidates have been what you might call champions of the cause of domestic violence, tackling domestic violence, that is simply a fact.

“So I just hope the next prime minister recognises that this bill is the will of the House, that there is commitment on all sides to it. The prime minister will be gone next week, but this bill, her bill, must go forward.”

Labour MP Sarah Champion told BuzzFeed News: “Domestic abuse is a massive issue in the UK with an estimated 2 million people being affected. Having legislation to combat it is vital. The bill should have come before the House in December 2017 but it has been consistently kicked into the long grass.

“The Domestic Abuse Bill is Theresa May’s legacy. It was brought before the House today to try and secure its safe passage into law once she steps down as Prime Minister. However, nothing is certain in this place and I truly hope the new PM doesn’t choose to play politics with such a key piece of legislation.”

Phillips told BuzzFeed News: “I want to hear him [Johnson] say it, but I trust Parliament will not let it fall.”

Johnson’s spokesperson did not respond to direct requests for comment.

When asked whether May, who first discussed the bill with charities when she was Home secretary, regretted not bringing it forward sooner in order to ensure that it was enshrined into law before she left office, her spokesperson said: “I think in terms of the timeline it’s obviously a once-in-a-generation bill, so it’s important that we took the time to get it right.”