Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle knife crime.

Tackling knife crime is a priority for this government. We are pursuing a robust twin-track approach, combining tough enforcement with programmes that divert young people away from crime.

Since 2019, we have invested £340m in the areas most affected by violence, funding our ‘Grip’ hotspot policing programme and Violence Reduction Units to tackle the root causes of serious violence.

On 18 April, we launched a 7-week consultation on proposed legislation to tackle knife crime and particularly the use of certain types of large knives and machetes in crime.