Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will increase sentences for offences committed with a knife.

Tackling knife crime is a priority and this Government is determined to do all it can to break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of individuals, families and communities.

The maximums available for existing knife offences include up to 4 years’ imprisonment for carrying a knife or threatening with an offensive weapon being 4 years’ imprisonment. Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of offences that the offender may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences, up to life imprisonment. Sentencing in individual cases are a matter for our independent judiciary.

We will be reforming the sentencing framework in line with most of the recommendations made by the Independent Sentencing Review in May 2025 to ensure that our prisons never run out of space again, which would place the public at unconscionable risk.