Cutting knife crime to be ‘moral mission’ for Labour if it wins general election
Reducing knife crime will be a “moral mission” for Labour if it wins the general election on 4 July, Sir Keir Starmer will say on Tuesday.
The party leader will outline his plan to halve knife crime over the next 10 years, including creating a new cross-government “coalition” to work on solutions – including families of victims and survivors of knife crime, along with tech companies and relevant organisations.
Sir Keir will also promise to chair an annual knife crime summit to “track progress” on the target, and appeal to all parties to work together on the issue.
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“Knife crime is an issue above and beyond party politics,” he will say. “For the parents grieving sons and daughters who never came home, action to end this scourge cannot wait.
“Far too often we hear the same stories from grieving families who have been subject to these brutal murders carried out by children.
“It is our duty as political leaders of all stripes to work together to end knife crime and keep our young people safe.”
Figures from Labour showed knife-related offences had risen by 81% since 2015 across England and Wales.
The party’s pledges for after the election include increasing the penalties for carrying a knife – including custody in the most serious cases, as well as extending the list of banned knives.
They will also introduce a new “Young Futures” programme to support young people in local communities.
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“Cutting knife crime will be a moral mission for the next Labour government,” Sir Keir will add.
“Our new cross-government coalition will put knife crime victims and their families at the heart of government, working with us to take the strongest action in a generation to end this tragic crime.”
But Conservative policing minister Chris Philp attacked the Labour leader’s record from his time in charge of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), claiming convictions for weapon possession fell on his watch.
“In contrast, the Conservatives have cut crime by 54% since 2010 and recruited 20,000 more police since 2019,” he added.
“We are going even further with our plan to recruit 8,000 more police officers.
“The choice at the election is clear: cracking down on crime with Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives, or back to square one with Keir Starmer and the same old Labour who consistently fail to tackle crime.”
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The Tories will be reiterating their plans to lower migration on Tuesday, laying claim to being the only party to support the Rwanda plan for deporting asylum seekers arriving in the UK by small boat.
They will also pledge to reduce legal migration, with an annual cap on the number of visas that are granted for work or for people to join their family.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Migration is too high and the Conservatives have a clear plan to get it down.
“Labour would rip up our plan on day one by scrapping the Rwanda scheme, despite countries across Europe looking to it themselves to deal with their own migration pressures.”
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Sir Keir Starmer set for Donald Trump trade talks as PM walks diplomatic line between EU allies and US on Gaza
Gaza and transatlantic trade are set to dominate talks between Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer when the pair meet in Scotland on Monday.
Downing Street said the prime minister would discuss “what more can be done to secure the ceasefire [in the Middle East] urgently”, during the meeting at the president’s Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire.
Talks in Qatar over a ceasefire ended on Thursday after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams.
Mr Trump blamed Hamas for the collapse of negotiations as he left the US for Scotland, saying the militant group “didn’t want to make a deal… they want to die”.
Sir Keir has tried to forge close personal ties with the president, frequently praising his actions on the world stage despite clear foreign policy differences between the US and UK.
The approach seemed to pay off in May when Mr Trump announced the agreement of a trade deal with the UK that would see several tariffs lowered.
The two leaders are expected to discuss this agreement when they meet, with the prime minister likely to press the president for a lowering of outstanding tariffs on imports such as steel.
Prior to the visit, the White House said the talks would allow them to “refine the historic US-UK trade deal”.
Extracting promises from the president on the Middle East may be harder though.
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Despite some reports that Mr Trump is growing frustrated with Israel, there is a clear difference in tone between the US and its Western allies.
As he did over the Ukraine war, Sir Keir will have to walk a diplomatic line between the UK’s European allies and the White House.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state in September, the first member of the G7 to do so.
That move was dismissed by Mr Trump, who said it “doesn’t carry any weight”.
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The UK, French and German leaders spoke over the weekend and agreed to work together on the “next phase” in Gaza that would see transitional governance and security arrangements put in place, alongside the large-scale delivery of aid.
Under pressure from members of his own party and cabinet to follow France and signal formal recognition of Palestine, Sir Keir has gradually become more critical of Israel in recent months.
On Friday, the prime minister said “the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel’s disproportionate military escalation in Gaza are all indefensible”.
Government sources say UK recognition is a matter of “when, not if”, however, it’s thought Downing Street wants to ensure any announcement is made at a time when it can have the greatest diplomatic impact.
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Cabinet ministers will be convened in the coming days, during the summer recess, to discuss the situation in Gaza.
The UK has also been working with Jordan to air drop supplies, after Israel said it would allow foreign countries to provide aid to the territory.
President Trump’s trip to Scotland comes ahead of his second state visit to the UK in September.
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Downing Street says Ukraine will also likely be discussed in the meeting with both men reflecting on what can be done to force Russia back to the negotiating table.
After the meeting at Turnberry, the prime minister will travel with the president to Aberdeen for a private engagement.
Mr Trump is also expected to meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney while in the country.
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