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After visiting the scene of a brutal attack at a children’s dance class in Southport, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “absolutely determined” to get to grips with knife crime.
The horrifying rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday class claimed the lives of three girls aged nine, seven and six, with eight more children injured.
Five of them were fighting for their lives on Tuesday along with two adults who bravely tried to protect the children from the attacker.
Their deaths come a week after the latest figures revealed knife attacks are on the rise in England and Wales.
Knife-enabled crime in England and Wales has risen by 78 per cent over the past decade and 4 per cent in the year to March 2024, with police recording 50,510 offences.
This includes some 233 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument.
However, totals have not yet exceeded the pre-pandemic high of 51,982 offences in the year to March 2020, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.
Speaking from the scene in Southport, Sir Keir – who vowed to halve knife crime in his manifesto – said he was “very worried” about the levels of knife crime.
“I am very worried about high levels of knife crime, and I am absolutely determined that my government will get to grips with it, but today is not the time for politics, today is the time to focus entirely on the families and on the wider community,” he told Sky News.
Meanwhile, home secretary Yvette Cooper repeated her claim that the Labour government is on a “moral mission” to tackle knife crime.
When asked what the government will do to address knife crime and prevent future attacks, Ms Cooper told reporters in Southport: “Well, there will be deep distress right across the country, as well as here in Southport, for this appalling, just truly horrific attack, because it’s beyond every parent’s worst nightmare.
“You had what should have been a children’s party, having fun in the beginning of the summer holidays ... then turn into something so devastating.
“There’s obviously deep concern about knife attacks across the country and that’s why the prime minister has said that that is a moral mission to address this, but I think for today the issue really is about Southport and the issue is about the families who have been affected in this case – and all of us praying for the injured children and for the little children who have been lost.”
However, campaigners said it is crucial that their words translate into “tangible actions” and increased investment to stop knife attacks.
Patrick Green, of the Ben Kinsella Trust, told The Independent: “The prime minister’s acknowledgement of knife crime as a ‘moral mission’ is a significant statement.
“It is crucial that this commitment translates into tangible actions and increased investment in tackling the root causes of knife crime through education and early intervention services.
“While our immediate thoughts are with the families affected by the horrific events in Southport, it is imperative that everything is done to prevent such tragedies from ever happening again.”
Labour has pledged to halve knife crime in the next 10 years with measures including creating a new cross-government “coalition” with families of victims and survivors of knife crime, along with tech companies and relevant organisations.
