Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jake Richards and Harpreet Uppal

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield) (Lab)]

T6. As my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Adam Thompson) said, the consequences of knife crime are always tragic. It devastates communities and too often involves young people. There has been under-investment in the criminal justice system and, in particular, in provision for youth justice by previous Administrations. What steps is the Minister taking with Departments across Government to increase prosecutions for knife crime, and for child exploitation in organised criminality in particular?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jake Richards)]

My hon. Friend raises the important issue of knife crime, as did my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Adam Thompson). Every incident of knife crime is taken seriously and has a devastating effect on the victim, their family and the community. As I said, knife crime is down 8% under this Labour Government. That is a good start, but we have also just announced record investment in early intervention services, whether that is the Turnaround programme or youth justice services more generally. In the coming weeks, we will publish a cross-Government strategy for tackling knife crime, which will involve work by colleagues at the Department for Education, the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice. That is the best way of ensuring that we tackle the causes of knife crime.