Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration has been given to a public safety campaign on the risks of kitchen knives being misused.

Knife crime is a national concern. The Government is committed to halving knife crime over the next decade and published Protecting Lives, Building Hope: A Plan to Halve Knife Crime in April 2026. The plan sets out a cross-government approach focused on prevention, early intervention, enforcement and reducing reoffending.

The Home Office works with manufacturers and retailers of knives, as well as campaigners for knife safety, to improve the safety of how everyday items such as the kitchen knife are marketed and sold. On 8 October 2026 I held a summit on the safe sale and display of knives in shops, encouraging responsible retailer practice such as locked display cabinets. I am pleased that many leading retailers are already making such changes.

In the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we introduced Ronan’s Law, which includes stricter age verification requirements on knife sellers and a requirement for retailers to report bulk knife sales. We also introduced a new offence of possessing an offensive weapon with intent for violence, which means that no matter if the weapon in possession is legal or not, if there is intent to cause violence, it is a crime.

To get dangerous knives off our streets, the Home Office has undertaken three knife and weapons surrender schemes since 2024. This year the scheme ran between 3 and 31 August 2026, and the figures will be published in due course.