Statement on spate of youth murders in London

“This week has seen a depressing number of murders of teenagers on the streets of London.

“Every violent death is a tragedy and heartbreak for family and friends but the stabbings of youngsters on our streets is particularly distressing. Our thoughts are with the relatives who have to cope with this intolerable reality.

“There needs to be a step change in the capital’s response to violence. We await more detail about the Mayor’s planned Violence Reduction Unit and what sort of impact this will have. We hope it is not too little too late.

“Our young people are being killed now and urgent action needs to be taken to stem the tragic waste in potential of our children.”