Labour pledges to get knives off Britain’s streets - as Keir Starmer accuses the Tories of failing a generation

Today, Labour leader Keir Starmer is pledging a total crackdown on the availability of knives on Britain’s streets, as he accuses the Conservatives of failing a generation - ‘“no more loopholes, no more caveats, no more false promises”. 

The promise of a comprehensive ban comes as new research from the party shows a record number of young people were killed last year using a knife or sharp instrument.

On the day the Conservatives make their 16^th pledge in 14 years to ban zombie-style knives, the Labour leader calls out their ‘warm words’ as an ‘insult to families affected by knife crime’ and condemns knife crime soaring, up 70 per cent since 2015.

Five months ago, Labour supported the government’s pledge to introduce new legislation to toughen the rules on possession of machetes and zombie-style knives. There has been no action since, only warnings from experts that the proposals are too weak by excluding weapons like ninja swords. 

The government has published 16 press releases about zombie knives since 2015, yet despite repeated promises to toughen the rules, a full ban is still not in place.

In contrast, the Labour leader and former Chief Prosecutor has said: “When I announce a ban, you’ll get a ban.” Starmer is pledging to extend the ban to include a wider range of weapons, and toughen existing rules on serration and centimetre length.

Labour is going further by also pledging a crackdown on the sale of dangerous knives online. Rambo knives, swords and machetes are all too easily available through sites such as Knife Warehouse. Recent high-profile murder cases, such as the killing of Ronan Kanda, have shown verification measures such as ID checks have been easily subverted.

Labour has also long called for tough criminal sanctions on tech executives who allow knife sales on their online marketplaces, such as Amazon Marketplace, eBay and Instagram. This follows a Which investigation that identified repeated examples of knives for sale on these decentralised platforms, often listed by individual sellers abroad (e.g. the USA). In the Online Safety Act, the government simply opted for Ofcom fines for such breaches – but still hasn’t put that measure into force. 

Starmer is today exposing ‘contemptuous government failure’, by promising to close the loophole and make online platforms indirectly selling knives criminally liable for sales, not just fined by Ofcom.

Keir Starmer will also today pledge a rapid end-to-end review of online knife sales from the point of purchase through to delivery. This will include reviewing the effectiveness of ID checks and verification measures. In particular, Labour will examine the checks conducted by Royal Mail and by Border Force for UK-bound parcels and have said: ‘if more legal restrictions on online selling are necessary, we’ll do it.’ 

Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, said:

“The number of these deadly weapons on Britain’s streets is terrifying, and unacceptable. 

“For years, the Tories have made grand promises of action, but by failing to bring a proper ban on these killer knives and to crack down on online sales to kids, they’re letting a generation down.

“The tragic cost is being felt by too many. Young people are being killed or maimed, and communities are blighted by fear.

“Labour will act. There will be nothing short of a ban by my Labour government. And we won’t stop there – we’ll crack down on online sales, too. No child should be able to buy a deadly weapon as easily as they can online today.”

Ends

Notes:

The Government has published 16 press releases and other announcements regarding zombie and zombie-style knives since 2015, yet a full ban is still not in place. Link

Machete and zombie knife ban:

• In August last year, the government pledged to come forward with new legislation to ban zombie-style knives and machetes, and to extend powers for police to seize weapons inside homes. However, Ministers have yet to confirm a date for introduction of new legislation to make the necessary amendments to the Offensive Weapons Act.

• In addition, respondees to the government’s consultation such as the Mayor of London have highlighted gaps in the proposals as set out by the Home Office, including definition of individual knives which are too tightly drawn - Mayor calls on Government to urgently bring forward long delayed laws to ban zombie-style knives and machetes | London City Hall.

Online knife sales:

Online knife sales present three major issues: (1) supervision of websites selling legal knives, (2) decentralised marketplaces hosting illegal knife sales, and (3) interception of knives ordered online and delivered from overseas.

1. Knives which are currently legal to own indoors, but are illegal to carry or to sell to under-18s, can be purchased online from sites such as Knife Warehouse. The ID checks on such platforms are incredibly loose - for example, allowing an individual to upload a passport photo once with no subsequent follow-up checks or oversight, and no background checks on individuals purchasing potentially deadly but legal knives (such as curved swords). During a recent murder trial in which a Knife Warehouse knife was used, a judge referred to the availability of dangerous knives on such websites and called on government to take action to restrict such sales.

1. The existing legislation makes it illegal to directly sell certain types of knife, but does not contain criminal penalties for tech executives whose platforms enable selling by others - such as eBay or Amazon Marketplace. Since October 2022, Labour have urged the government to close this loophole and ensure that platforms indirectly selling knives are also made criminally liable for sales, with either fines or criminal penalties for those who fail to take reasonable steps to prevent them Tech bosses face prosecution for selling zombie knives online in Labour crime crackdown | The Sun

1. Total seizures of knives increased during 2020, potentially reflecting increased Border Force activity during the pandemic and/or an uptick in knives imported from overseas. However, such seizures have fallen since, despite no clear drop in knife offences or availability during the same period.