Sarah Pochin, Reform MP for Runcorn and Helsby, has posted a sickening video on X which implies that domestic abuse ‘just happens’ when the England team loses a game.
Given that Reform has a track record of platforming and promoting abusive men, Pochin’s comments appear less like a warning and more like an attempt to explain away behaviour that has absolutely no excuse.
Thankfully, critics were quick to remind her of a pretty simple fact: domestic abuse is the responsibility of the male abuser — not the performance of football players.
No football result — however disappointing — gives any man the right to terrorise, assault or control another person.
Women and children already face enough hostility without bigoted public figures seeming to search for reasons to soften the blame against perpetrators of domestic abuse.
For the sake of women’s safety we need England to keep winning
pic.twitter.com/Art8B5gzaf
— Sarah Pochin MP (@SarahForRuncorn) June 18, 2026
Women’s safety will never matter to Reform — unless it’s a man of colour
When you think Reform cannot get any worse, they soon prove they can. Yesterday we saw former Tory cabinet minister claim the far-right party will “stand up for women”, despite having had a seat at the table for years without doing anything to actually improve rights for the UK’s female population.
But that rank hypocrisy clearly wasn’t the bottom of the barrel for Reform – that seems an endless slope into the abyss – as highlighted by Pochin’s disgusting post which is seeking to blame the performance of the England football team for any potential rise in domestic abuse.
Well, what do you expect of a party which promotes and employs misogynistic bigots – especially when some of those, as we have revealed, have a history of abuse.
Therefore, it is hard to see this as anything other than Pochin trying to give the party’s targeted voters a sense that their violence and abuse is justified. As a result, surely it is a legitimate claim to say Pochin may actually carry some culpability in a rise of domestic abuse cases during or after the World Cup.
Also, the fact that Pochin doesn’t lay any blame at the feet of perpetrators of abuse and instead calls for England to win “for the sake of women’s safety” shows how woefully unqualified she is to have a position of power and influence.
As homelessness and prison reform advocate Matthew Tobitt makes pretty clear, the quality of England players’ performance is not responsible for spectator’s abuse:
It’s hard to overstate how absolutely awful this framing is in just a 13 second video.
Football players aren’t responsible for domestic abuse, abusers are! https://t.co/uiVsXyeUII
— Matthew (@MatthewTorbitt) June 18, 2026
Domestic abuse will increase — win or lose
A study back in 2014 showed how regardless of win or lose, domestic abuse increases. If England win, there is a 26% spike in domestic abuse. If they lose, there is a 38% rise – with both seeing another 11% increase the following day. This study goes to highlight that men will find any reason to hurt women — they just do it a fraction more if they also happen to be angry about football.
Yesterday, in time for England’s opening game, Women’s Aid launched their ‘The Other Kick Off’ campaign to raise awareness of the impending rise in domestic abuse seen around big tournaments.
On their website, they have a countdown until kick off — and Pochin would do well to take heed of what true advocacy for women’s safety looks like:
Pochin seems remarkably unconcerned that the England victory she is calling for could coincide with a near-30% rise in violence against women and girls.
What’s more, that figure may not even tell the full story. At a time when misogynists are openly whipping up hostility towards women and millionaire populists like Farage are busy stoking male grievance, the risks facing women and girls could be even greater than the study suggests.
Women do not become less deserving of safety because a football team wins. Yet too many politicians seem more interested in indulging male anger than confronting the harm it causes.
When will women and girls matter in the UK?
Women’s Aid state on their website the threat which faces women and children specifically around football games:
We’re talking about what can happen after.
When he comes home.
The domestic abuse that goes up every time England play. Win, lose or draw.
The thousands of women and children who, rather than look forward to the opening whistle, dread the final one.
Football should never come home like this.
It seems this dreaded reality for many women and children matters precious little to Pochin — who undeniably is a traitor to her own gender. That, of course, was clear just by joining and championing a party which amplifies misogyny, but this goes beyond the pale even for her.
The Canary spoke to Refuge, the UK’s largest domestic abuse charity, about Pochin’s appalling remarks, who told us:
Refuge is deeply concerned by a highly inappropriate social media post from Sarah Pochin MP suggesting that England should win more Men’s football World Cup matches to reduce domestic abuse.
This is not only misleading but could allow perpetrators to evade accountability.
We must be clear: football is never an excuse for domestic abuse, and perpetrators cannot continue to be shielded by the myth that football directly causes abuse.
While major sports tournaments can exacerbate pre-existing behaviours, abuse happens all year round, often hidden and unreported. Abusers may use football or alcohol intake as an excuse, but there is never any justification for domestic abuse. It is the abuser’s actions alone that are to blame – not external events or circumstances. It is a choice, and it must be challenged.
As the World Cup continues, it is more vital than ever that we shift the narrative and give domestic abuse the red card. To show your support for survivors, take action with Refuge now.
With Reform UK standing a very real chance of getting into power with a thumping majority in 2029’s general election, the trauma that women and children have endured for decades is surely only to become even worse.
Which, frankly, runs chills through every bone in my body as a woman and a mother of young girls.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, you are not alone.
Refuge’s 24/7 National Domestic Abuse Helpline is available on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk for support and information.
Featured image via the Canary
