Women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said women are broadly unsafe because of harassment, sexual violence and misogynistic attitudes. Her comments came after residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, raised concerns about plans to house 1,256 male asylum seekers at a former military site, prompting criticism that the Government was discussing wider issues instead of addressing local fears.

Phillipson announced a taskforce involving national leaders and local experts to tackle misogyny. Critics called it a “talking shop”, comparing it with a recent Government leaflet explaining that rape requires consent; Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey also opposed concentrating so many young male asylum seekers at the site, while acknowledging that most migrants pose no threat.