UK MP Calls for More Rape Crisis Funding After Own Assault

A member of Parliament is using her own painful experience to fight for thousands of sexual assault survivors struggling to find help.

Charlotte Nichols, Labour MP for Warrington North, revealed this week that she was raped after attending an event in her role as an elected official. She waited nearly three years for a trial, and credits sexual abuse support services with keeping her alive through the ordeal.

Now she's calling on the UK government to dramatically increase funding for these lifesaving programs. "The services are completely essential," Nichols told The Independent. "I couldn't have made it all the way to trial without the support of my own independent sexual violence adviser, who saved my life."

The timing couldn't be more urgent. Rape Crisis, a charity providing specialist support across the country, currently has 14,000 people on its waiting lists. Three centers shut down last year, and two-thirds of remaining facilities risk cutting vital services due to lack of funding.

Nineteen-year-old Eve Gooder knows that desperation firsthand. Last year, she reached out for help for the first time after being sexually abused online as a child. Four different centers turned her away because they lacked resources.

"It was a feeling that maybe I should have just kept it inside," Gooder said. She's now launched a petition calling for more government funding, worried that others will give up after being rejected.

The Ripple Effect

The funding crisis affects far more than individual survivors. Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman warns that underfunded support services threaten the entire justice system, as traumatized victims drop out of cases they can't emotionally sustain without help.

Crown court backlogs have hit record levels, making consistent support even more critical. Without it, survivors abandon the legal process entirely, leaving perpetrators unpunished and communities less safe.

Just before Christmas, Rape Crisis faced a cliff edge when the government delayed confirming whether funding would continue into 2026. Centers prepared redundancy notices before finally receiving confirmation of £21.3 million in Ministry of Justice funding.

But that money isn't nearly enough. Sarsas, a charity supporting survivors across Avon and Somerset, receives around 150 referrals monthly. Many of its services have waiting lists exceeding two years.

Chief executive Lorri Weaving calls the situation a national emergency. "We know that some survivors may not come forward or continue with support because of these delays," she said. "A consistent, long-term, cross-government approach to funding that matches demand is urgently needed."

Nichols emphasizes that turning away vulnerable survivors at their moment of greatest need creates lasting damage. But she's hopeful her voice, combined with advocates like Gooder, can create real change.

Their courage in speaking out is already making the invisible crisis visible, and Parliament is listening.