Refuge, and other women’s charities in the UK, are vibrant, innovative and resilient. But they are being stretched to breaking point. I was shocked to read a new report, by the Trust for London and Northern Rock Foundation, whichhighlights how cuts are crippling vital services such as women’s refuges. Local authority funding has been slashed by 31%, and Refuge has shouldered cuts to 50% of its contracts. On an average day last year 230 women were turned away from refuges because there was simply not enough space for them.

The impact of these cuts will be devastating. The financial footing of women’s charities has been shaky for many years; now it is in real danger of slipping into the abyss. Let me be quite clear about what is at stake here. Without services such as refuges, more women and children will be trapped in violent relationships. Domestic violence rarely peters out. On the contrary, abuse tends to escalate over time. If they can’t get help – preferably at the earliest opportunity – their stories may well have the most tragic of conclusions.