THE government is “letting down victims of rape on every front,” Labour’s shadow solicitor-general Ellie Reeves warned today.

MPs on both sides of the Commons urged ministers to do more to ensure that rape victims feel there is a reasonable prospect of their attacker being convicted if reported.

Ms Reeves and Labour MP Cat Smith said that the rate of rape prosecutions in England and Wales was the lowest on record.

According to the Victims’ Commissioner, only one in seven rape victims has faith in the justice system, they added.

The Crown Prosecution Service last month published new guidance for prosecutors to tackle “rape myths and stereotypes” and improve rape prosecution rates, particularly in relation to crimes taking place during hook-ups facilitated by dating apps.

Conservative MP Laura Farris welcomed the CPS guidance but added that a large number of women were “reluctant to report rape in the first instance because of an enduring concern that they won’t be believed by the police when they do so.”

She urged Solicitor General Michael Ellis to state what steps he is taking to ensure that support and the framework exists to enable women and girls to be confident enough to report sex crimes.

Prosecuting rape offenders and ensuring that victims have faith in the justice system is a “high priority” for the government, Mr Ellis said.

He added: “The overall trend over the past quarter shows that the volume and the proportion of suspects charged is actually slowly increasing but I accept that there is more work to do in this area.”