ALL women are unsafe, says minister - as she dismisses concerns about asylum

Labour was accused of running a futile 'talking shop' on women's safety on Sunday after a minister claimed that 'all' women in society are 'unsafe'.

Bridget Phillipson was under fire on Sunday for her response to fears from female villagers about living near proposed housing for more than 1,000 asylum seekers – after Labour issued 'pointless' anti-rape pamphlets to migrants last month.

The women and equalities minister made the extraordinary statement as she was asked about an open letter from a group of 133 women in Piddington, warning: 'We will not feel safe walking our streets. 

We are already living in fear,' after it was announced that 1,256 men would be housed at a local former military site.

On Sunday, Ms Phillipson announced that the Government had created a new taskforce bringing together national leaders and local experts to focus on tackling misogyny across society.

But the minister immediately faced questions about what Labour is doing to tackle violence against women and girls as the Government was accused of making 'vacuous announcements' instead of taking action.

When asked if women in Piddington were right about their safety concerns, Ms Phillipson told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: 'Sadly, yes, women are right to be fearful in society more widely about the attitudes and the normalisation of attitudes towards women and violence against women that I'd hoped we'd made more progress on, and I hoped we put behind us.'

Labour minister Bridget Phillipson faced fierce criticism after asserting that 'all' women in society are 'unsafe,' responding to safety concerns from female residents in Piddington, Oxfordshire, where a former MoD site is set to house 1,256 male asylum seekers

The Oxfordshire village of Piddington, where the villagers are up in arms over the proposed migrant centre being built next to their tiny village

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey opposed placing a large concentration of young male asylum seekers at the MoD site, agreeing with local residents that it was a poor decision despite stating that most migrants pose no threat

She added: 'Sadly all of us as women in society are unsafe, that is the culture that we have right now in our country where women on the streets are harassed, where women can't even go to gigs without facing sexual assault or intimidation, and where young girls in our schools are exposed to harmful language - that's what has to shift.

'Whilst yes we should look at individual cases - and I'm not for one second seeking to minimise the concerns that those women raise - this is part of a much bigger challenge that we all of us have to tackle together.'

But shadow minister for women and equalities, Joy Morrissey MP dismissed the taskforce as little more than a 'talking shop' adding: 'I agree that women and girls should feel safe on the street. The fact is they don't.

'But a talking shop to examine 'attitudes' to women will make about as little difference to that vital task as giving illegal migrant men a leaflet to ask them not to rape British women and girls.

'This is just an embarrassing response from a Government that thinks leaflets, meetings and vacuous announcements represent action.

'Labour has no serious plan for ending the crisis of violence against women and girls.'

Last month, an official government pamphlet telling asylum seekers rape is illegal was blasted as 'pointless' as campaigners said it was 'pie in the sky' that ingrained sexism and abusive behaviour could be remedied by the Home Office publication.

The seven-page booklet, handed out as part of an education campaign, warns: 'If you have sex with someone without their consent, this is called rape.

'Rape is a serious crime in the UK.'

Ms Morrissey has said women in Piddington are 'quite rightly worried about a potential increase in sexual crime' and they should not be 'punished because of this government's failure to secure our borders'.

She told LBC radio: 'Women in Piddington have every right to ask questions. The Government has even found it necessary to issue illegal immigrants with guidance explaining that rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse are crimes in Britain. That document recently released by the Home Office is as terrifying as it is ridiculous.

'When the Government is telling newly arrived men that women have the same rights as men and that sexual violence is illegal, it is hardly unreasonable for local women to ask who is being placed on their doorstep…

'Rather than treating Piddington residents as an inconvenience, we will put the safety of British women and children first.'

Residents in Piddington voted to leave the UK in a symbolic independence 'referendum' on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said 'the vast majority' of migrants coming to the UK will not be a threat. But he told the BBC's Sunday Morning that he agreed with Piddington residents: 'I think we'd be on the same side as the residents.' He added: 'The proposal to locate lots of young men on that ex-MoD site is a very bad decision.'