# Tory minister hits back at Labour over women's safety row > Joy Morrissey defends linking violence against women to immigration, citing her work with rape victims in Kosovo. - Title: Tory minister hits back at Labour over women's safety row - Summary: Joy Morrissey defends linking violence against women to immigration, citing her work with rape victims in Kosovo. Shadow women's minister Joy Morrissey… - Keywords: joy morrissey, bridget phillipson, violence against women and girls, immigration, labour, conservative party, women's safety, piddington, asylum seekers, politics, news, Tory - Source: The Independent — https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/joy-morrissey-bridget-phillipson-vawg-violence-women-girls-piddington-b3060857.html - Published: 2026-10-04T14:44:37+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: joy morrissey, bridget phillipson, violence against women and girls, immigration, labour, conservative party, women's safety, piddington, asylum seekers, politics, news ## Morrissey defends linking VAWG to immigration Joy Morrissey, Kemi Badenoch's shadow women and equalities minister, rejected Labour's claim that the Tories weaponise violence against women and girls for political point scoring. ## Morrissey criticises Phillipson's priorities Morrissey said Bridget Phillipson, Labour's women and equalities minister and party chair, was taking her party role more seriously than her ministerial responsibilities. > I think Bridget Phillipson is taking her job as chair of the Labour Party maybe more seriously, or more sort of prominently, this week than she was taking her role as minister for women and equalities. ## Phillipson declines to meet Piddington residents After her interview with The Independent, Phillipson turned down Morrissey's invitation to meet women in Piddington, Oxfordshire, who were concerned about more than one thousand male asylum seekers in a nearby camp. ## Morrissey: people are being silenced Morrissey told The Independent the issue absolutely has to do with asylum seekers and claimed people are being silenced over the debate. > They can't just keep calling all of us racist every time we talk about something that doesn't fit the multicultural agenda. ## Home Office has no data on asylum seekers and VAWG The Home Office said it does not hold usable data on violence against women and girls committed specifically by asylum seekers or illegal migrants. ## Morrissey's experience in Kosovo shaped her views Morrissey worked in Kosovo and Albania after the war at age eighteen, helping families and young girls who were rape victims. She witnessed violence and saw how women were treated in certain cultures. > I worked in Kosovo and Albania after the war. I worked with families and young girls, rape victims, and one of the girls was killed right in front of me, it was awful. ## Morrissey admits possible bias against certain men Morrissey acknowledged she may have bias against men from certain countries because of her experience, saying she reacts strongly when she sees men from countries that treat women poorly. > I think I probably react more strongly when I see men from certain countries who, in their countries, treat women like animals. ## Morrissey fears for her daughter's safety Morrissey said she fears for her teenage daughter's safety in London. One third of rapes reported last year were girls under eighteen, with the highest level at age fourteen. > I'm talking about this issue because I have a daughter who I don't feel like it's safe for her to go on the streets of London. ## Morrissey criticises Phillipson on early prisoner release Morrissey said Phillipson did not comment on seven hundred prisoners released early this week to deal with overcrowded prisons, which affects domestic abuse victims whose perpetrators are being released. ## Phillipson: Tories only talk about women's safety with immigration Phillipson told The Independent the Tories and Reform UK are not serious about protecting women, saying they only address women's safety in the context of immigration or asylum. > They're only interested in talking about women's safety when it relates to immigration or asylum. ## Phillipson questions Tory commitment to women's safety Phillipson asked when Kemi Badenoch last visited a rape crisis centre or women's refuge, and whether Nigel Farage has shown interest in visiting one or only uses the issue for political points. > When was the last time Kemi Badenoch visited a rape crisis centre or women's refuge? Has Nigel Farage ever shown any interest in visiting a women's refuge, or is he only interested in talking about violence against women when it allows them to make a political point? ## Key takeaway Shadow women's minister Joy Morrissey defended connecting violence against women to immigration policy, while Labour's Bridget Phillipson accused the Tories of weaponising the issue for political gain.