Andy Burnham had just won Makerfield by a landslide. The count was done, the result was clear, and most of the political commentary was focused on what it meant for Keir Starmer’s future. Then, on Sky News, a 71-second exchange between a Reform MP and a Labour peer became the moment everyone was actually talking about.
Thangam Debbonaire, a Labour peer who has spent years working in the violence against women sector, was brought on alongside Reform MP Sarah Pochin to react to the result. By the time it was over, Pochin was being accused on live television of using women’s safety as a political prop – and the clip was already going viral.
The video that started it
Pochin had already been having a rough night before she sat down in front of a Sky News camera. Earlier in the day, she posted a video responding to England’s World Cup win against Croatia in which she said: “On the occasions that England lose their football matches, the incidences of domestic violence go through the roof. So boys, keep winning.” The caption read: “For the sake of women’s safety we need England to keep winning.”
Pochin appeared to be attempting to reference genuine research showing that domestic abuse reports can rise around England matches. But Refuge criticised the framing as misleading and dangerous, pointing out that abuse is a choice made by perpetrators – it is not caused by football results, alcohol, or external events. Campaigners raise awareness during tournaments because women living with abusive partners can be at heightened risk, and because perpetrators often use disappointment or drink as excuses for behaviour that is entirely their own responsibility. Telling England players to keep winning “for women’s safety” turns that message on its head entirely.
By the time Pochin appeared on Sky News, the backlash was already well underway.
The clash
On air, Pochin repeatedly interrupted Debbonaire and tried to steer the conversation about violence against women in a racial direction. Debbonaire, who has worked directly with survivors of domestic abuse, ran out of patience.
The line that cut through was simple and direct: Pochin, she said, only seemed to care about violence against women and girls when it was “committed by a brown person.”
The party talks loudly about women’s safety when the issue can be connected to grooming gangs, immigration, or public disorder. When the subject is everyday domestic abuse – male violence in the home, by men women already know – the messaging gets considerably more confused. Pochin’s football video was a near-perfect illustration of that problem, and Debbonaire said so in terms that were impossible to ignore.
“You keep smiling when we are talking about violence against women and girls,” Debbonaire told her, visibly frustrated.
How viewers reacted
The clip spread quickly on social media. James Liney wrote: “Thangam Debbonaire absolutely losing it on Sky News makes staying up for the by-election worth it all on its own.” Edward Hardy said she had “completely eviscerated” Pochin. Andrew Behan simply posted: “Ouch.”
Mike H noted the moment that landed hardest: “Thangam Debbonaire to Sarah Pochin: ‘You keep smiling when we are talking about violence against women and girls.'”
A user called Supertanskii wrote: “‘You only care about violence against women and girls when it’s committed by a brown person.’ I’m living for Thangam Debbonaire losing her shit after being incessantly interrupted by Sarah Pochin and then utterly bodying her. No notes.”
Pochin is no stranger to this kind of attention. She has previously been told to “think carefully” by a minister after a Special Forces question backfired spectacularly in the Commons, and was embarrassed in a separate Commons clash earlier this year.
What the moment actually said
Debbonaire’s response was not polished or cautious. It was the kind of reaction you give when you have spent years working on an issue and watch someone flatten it into a campaign talking point in real time. That is exactly why it worked – the anger felt proportionate, because the subject deserves it.
Violence against women is not only worth discussing when the perpetrator fits a particular political narrative. It is not a prop to be deployed selectively. It does not become less serious when the men responsible are white, British, and known to their victims – which describes the vast majority of domestic abuse cases in this country.
Pochin may argue she was simply raising awareness of a real pattern around football tournaments. But awareness means explaining something responsibly. If the message people take away is that England players are responsible for keeping women safe by winning football matches, the message has gone seriously wrong. And if, when challenged on that, the conversation immediately shifts into racial framing, it only reinforces the criticism Debbonaire was making.
A bad night made worse
For Reform, the timing was brutal. The party had just suffered their worst byelection night since the general election, with Burnham romping home and Restore Britain peeling off votes on their right flank. Two of their Wigan councillors had already been caught posing with a Jimmy Savile banner during the campaign. And now their Runcorn MP was trending on social media for the wrong reasons, again.
The Makerfield result was bad enough on its own. The Sky News clip may well have lingered longer.
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