I have moved out with eldest daughter due to the way my wife treats her.

brought tears to my eyes what your eldest said

you did the right thing.
perhaps try family therapy and live separately for now until you see if there is improvement

I think you need to tread really carefully. Today it may be that you left because of your wife’s treatment of your daughter. But in the build up to today what has been done to change it? I’m wondering if that’s what a court will ask. It seems like you have done a huge u turn on your lives in the space of an argument. Be careful that your 8 year old may not agree once she forgets some of the conversations in a year or so if it goes to court. I completely understand you protecting her but banning your wife from complete contact may make you look bad in the eyes of court. Could you consider family therapy? But also a solicitor asap.

What your eldest needs most is NOT to be separated from her mother and sister.
She needs her mother to drastically improve her way of communicating with her. She needs to live with a mother who shows her love and affection, and with her sister whom she also loves.
There is nothing to be lost in trying to remedy your wife's approach until she gets it right. I would be communicating with your wife and getting her to enrol ASAP in a parenting class and counselling about her attitude. Make it a provision for you moving back.

The sooner the better because your daughter needs to feel that any change is totally about how her own mother chose to improve because of her love for her. An apology from her mother, or any improvement, will not come across as genuine if DD thinks you pressured her mother into it.
Now is not the time to be selfish and focus on a divorce - that would mean sheer chaos for DD1. She could feel to blame. You need to be in the household, helping things improve over the next few years.

Only after a decent attempt to help your wife see sense would it be best for you to fragment the family. Realistically, how would an unreformed wife treat her eldest DD if you forced a divorce on wife? Wife would be all over the place and not capable of learning new tricks. How would both girls feel about you? How would it be in their best interest?

Still completely missing the point. For a site that throws the term narcissist around like their favourite hot potato, when a thread has someone actually showing real traits people are being extremely dense and defensive about the behaviour.

A narcissist’s primary victim will always be the one they say they love the most. Everyone else they hurt to keep that person to themselves is collateral damage. It’s especially shit when it’s children being emotionally played off each other but this idea that the youngest is fine because mum likes her is completely wrong. The youngest is being thrown to the wolves at age 6 simply because someone who is known to be emotionally abusive has picked her as ‘special’. How are posters not seeing it is beyond me.

Presumably you are satisfied that this chain of events has taken place south of the border? Regardless of that, it seems to be a very bizarre and confrontational approach to be immediately suspicious of someone’s professional credentials..

Legal terminology aside, I’m pretty sure the view of the courts across the country would be consistent in relation to the father of a child ‘blocking the access’ of a mother who holds parental rights and responsibilities in this way. OP- whilst there is no doubt in my mind that your intentions are in the right place, you must be careful here and seek urgent legal advice.

I'd be willing to bet the six year old isn't feeling too great right now also

It’s a start to remove one, that had to be done for her well being
Im sure he will be reviewing the whole situation and his other daughter over the coming days, give the man a break!
What he did tonight was the behaviour of an extremely caring father and I’m sure he is going to be looking out for his other daughter as-well
It sounds like a ‘work in progress’ situation and the job is not yet completed

I’ve been involved with in family law cases where the legal advice was in accord with what @anon3455 said.
( I was involved as a friend- I’m not a legal expert)

You have no idea whether the other one was sobbing because we’re only hearing one side of the story.

I can see how, in the heat of the moment, the reaction was to remove 8yo to a safer, loving space. The OP says himself that when he cooled down, it dawned on him that he needs to take permanent action.

And only one of them was sobbing about feeling fat and not being loved by mum.

Agreed

It’s tricky. I do feel for the OP. It’s going to be hard to get this right. I understand the emotions he feels on behalf of his daughter.
But I get the feeling that the OP is becoming more intransigent because of the ( well meaning) support on here.
The OP needs to at least explore family counselling first ( and I don’t think he has shown willingness on that front)

YABU to just take your oldest child. You need to treat them both the same too and take them both. Favouring your oldest, even if just in response to your DW treatment of the younger, is also bad.

I think you did the right thing tonight. The question is what is the next right thing to do. IMO it is booking family therapy, parents first, and insisting on going. I presume it’s school holidays where you are. Can 6yo come stay with grandparents too while you too have the conversation about attending therapy?

Except he has TWO daughters

I’m not sure I have said my views should be more respected. I have disagreed with anon3455; they brought qualifications into the discussion, I have just said that, yes, I am qualified.

However, as other posters have pointed out anon3455’s terminology and views don’t sit with current English Family Law.

I'd rather leave this off topic discussion here though as it is detracting from the OP's issue.

I am in the opinion as well that both children should have been taken by the OP. Being the golden child is also equally damaging, and what the wife seems to be doing is toxic as well for the 6yo. And now 6yo will think that she wasn't good enough for dad and it will be a very high place to fall from if she disappoints mum. I really feel sorry for the 6yo.

Ignore commenters like that, there are a lot of people on here who have very little to do with their time and are only out to wind people up

I would be very, very surprised..

People are mainly being realistic about what’s possible for OP. Rightly or wrongly he feels how he feels. But factually he won’t be allowed to just keep one daughter by the courts it doesn’t work like that, this isn’t The Parent Trap

OP, please tread very carefully and get formal qualified support. Other posters are right when they say the Courts will take a view, especially if you are intransigent.

I'm so sorry OP your situation is awful but you've had some really good advice here. Not relevant to your actual problem but I am also a parent of bug mad kids and we regularly put a moth trap out in the garden. It's such a soothing, beautiful experience like Christmas morning opening a present I'm sure your eldest would love it, and your youngest too, did you know there are pink moths!

www.watdon.co.uk/acatalog/6W-Heath-trap-and-spares.html