Oral Answers to Questions

Jas Athwal Excerpts

Thursday 19th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[David Taylor (Hemel Hempstead) (Lab)]

1. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on prosecuting knife offences.

[Jas Athwal (Ilford South) (Lab)]

4. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on prosecuting knife offences.

[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

7. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on prosecuting knife offences.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Solicitor General]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this important matter. Knife-enabled robberies surged under the previous Government, which is why the Home Secretary has made tackling these offences an urgent priority. Enforcement is key, and that is why we are putting police back on the beat with a named officer for every neighbourhood.

[Jas Athwal]

I commend the Government for acting swiftly to ban ninja swords, seize zombie-style knives and crack down on the illegal online sale of these weapons. It will reassure communities such as mine in Ilford South, which sadly knows all too well the deadly effect of these weapons, with a number of heinous attacks this year where teenagers lost their lives. What are the Government doing to support the victims of knife crime and their families?

[The Solicitor General]

My hon. Friend makes a powerful point. Many of our constituents will have gone through the same pain as his. That is why we are taking strong action on knife crime, banning lethal weapons and working to ensure that dangerous blades do not end up in the wrong hands. This September, it became illegal to possess zombie-style knives and machetes, and we are bringing forward legislation to ban the ninja swords to which he refers.