MP Rosie Duffield made politicians cry with her domestic abuse story
Labour MP Rosie Duffield moved politicians to tears last night, as she recounted her personal experience of domestic abuse in an emotional speech.
As part of the debate on the domestic abuse bill, Rosie told the House of Commons that she had once been in an emotionally and financially abusive relationship, and revealed how she summoned the courage to escape.
Her speech was so harrowing that many of her colleagues, including Jess Phillips, who comforted her after she had finished telling the powerful story, were left in tears.
Rosie began by explaining that, at first, her former partner showered her with gifts and compliments.
“They don’t threaten, criticise, yell or exert their physical strength in increasingly frightening ways.
“Not at the start. Not when they think you’re sweet, funny and gorgeous. Not when they turn up to your third date with chocolates, then jewellery."
She revealed that the man in question had even met Jeremy Corbyn.
After he moved into her home, he began to take advantage of her financially, refusing to contribute to bills or tell her his own salary. Rosie's salary, as an MP, is a matter of public record.
Soon, platitudes that once seemed loving took on a more menacing tone, and he would accuse her of dressing too provocatively.
A post shared by Rosie Duffield MP (@rosieduffield1) on Mar 5, 2019 at 12:43pm PST
“You learn that ‘I’ll always look after you’ and ‘You’re mine for life’ can sound menacing, are used as a warning over and over again. It’s when the ring is on your finger that the mask can start to slip and the promises sound increasingly like threats.”
She pinpointed the insidious cycle of abuse with piercing accuracy.
"Those patterns continue: reward, punishment, promises of happy ever after, alternating with abject rage, menace, silent treatment and coercive control.”
Eventually, after he began to abuse her in public and humiliate her at work, Duffield began to gain in strength. She says that after he refused to contribute to a new sofa, she began timing his morning shower. After two weeks, she took his house keys before he left the house for work, effectively locking him out and ending the relationship.
Ending her speech, Duffield said that after six months, she began to feel herself again, and reconnect with friends and family. She finished by urging other victims not to stay silent, and to reach out to her.
Commenting on the speech, Labour's Harriet Harman said: "What she said will save lives".
The domestic abuse bill, which risked not becoming law after Boris Johnson prorogued parliament, includes new protections for victims of domestic abuse, including preventing the cross-examination of sufferers by the partners who abused them in court. Last night, the bill passed its second reading and will now proceed to committee stage.
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