Keir Starmer pledges £100 million plan to tackle knife crime under Labour government

Labour's plan to crack down on knife crime comes as the government introduces its own legislation to outlaw so-called 'zombie knives'

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged that a Labour government under his leadership would launch a £100 million youth programme to tackle knife crime.

The new proposals will be unveiled during the latest stop of the Labour leader's campaigning "missions tour" of the UK, and is seen as an echo of New Labour's SureStart childcare scheme.

Labour's announcement comes as the government will introduce fresh legislation on Thursday to ban zombie-style knives.

Knife-enabled crime grew 3% (50,833) across England and Wales in the year ending June 2023 compared with the previous 12-month period, Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed.

If introduced, the policy would aim to better co-ordinate local services in an effort to bring down levels of knife crime.

But what exactly would the plan include and how has it been received?

What would the plan include?

Labour said the interventionist Young Futures plan has been informed by Sir Keir's time as director of public prosecutions.

Set to draw on £100 million a year, the party said it would include a network of hubs for young people, with youth workers placed in A&E units, custody centres and communities.

Mentors will also be placed in pupil referral units, with funding for the plan coming from the commitment to charge 20% VAT on private school fees, as well as from recouping the full cost of gun licensing and promised public sector reforms.

The support measures will be accompanied by a promise of tougher sanctions for those carrying knives, with every offender required to be referred to a youth offending team and receive a mandatory and "bespoke" action plan to prevent re-offending.

Tougher guidance would also be introduced to ensure serious penalties, including curfews or tagging, are considered where appropriate.

'If you're carrying a knife you've got to carry the consequences'

Speaking exclusively to ITV News about his plan, Sir Keir said "I've spoken to too many victims of knife crime to say this is a party political issue".

He accused the government of reannouncing their zombie knives policy "17 times since 2015", urging them to "stop reannouncing it, do it - we'll support it, and we can actually do something about it".

When asked about whether his £100m plan was enough to fill the hole in cuts to youth services, Sir Keir admitted there did need to be more funding longer term for youth programmes, but that the economy was "broken".

"There do need to be longer term settlements for youth services, the support local authorities can put in…but there’s no shying away from the fact that after 14 years of decline, the economy is in a very bad shape.

"I can’t pretend if we're privileged enough to come into serving government that we’ll inherit anything other than a broken economy.”

Sir Keir insisted "I don't need persuading that you need more money in public services".

How have others reacted?

Conservative policing minister Chris Philp said: "This is just another reheated pledge from the Labour Party using money they have already spent seven times.

"They cannot say what their plan actually is. Because just like their reckless £28 billion-a-year spending spree they don't have a plan - meaning higher taxes for the British people."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted: “Our record shows that the plan we have got in place is working. “Overall, serious violence is down by a quarter over the past few years, we have 20,000 new police officers on the street — near record numbers — and we have confiscated over 100,000 knives."

Actor Idris Elba welcomed Sir Keir's emphasis on youth services in an interview with ITV News.

He said the focus previously hasn't been on youth programmes, and instead it's been too "reactive".

"The whole country reacts when we see the numbers of knife crime and the tragedies... but I think at this junction where there is a little bit more focus on this issue, we can start to shift the emphasis.

"Hopefully we don't see any tragic escalations, and we can just concentrate on how to prevent them."

Idris Elba told ITV News the government's law to ban zombie-style knives has some 'loopholes' and said the 'ban itself needs tightening'

When asked if he thought Sir Keir's plans we're good enough, Mr Elba said: "I sat in a room with the mothers of victims, the heads of charities, the real thinkers behind this, and everyone seemed to be satisfied with the idea that he's putting attention towards this."

He similarly praised Home Secretary James Cleverley for having knife crime "at the top of his agenda".

Mr Elba recently launched the Don't Stop Your Future campaign, which works with community organisations to tackle knife crime.

When asked about the government's law to ban zombie-style knives, Mr Elba said "the ban itself still needs tightening".

He said the law had some "loopholes", particularly around the use of swords, which aren't fully covered by the new ban.

Denzil Larbi, the cousin of 15-year-old Elianne Andam who was stabbed in Croydon last year, said he sees deaths from knife crime 'happening over and over again'

Rev. Denzil Larbi, the cousin of 15-year-old Elianne Andam who was stabbed in Croydon last year, told ITV News his family is deeply "traumatised" by what happened to Elianne.

He is a pastor at a church in one of the most deprived parts of Croydon, and says he has been seeing deaths from knife crime "happening over and over again", but for this to happen to his own family "shows it can really happen to anyone in this community".

The Croydon pastor said he welcomes the government's ban on zombie-style knives: "I will supporting and standing with any prime minister who is looking to ban zombie knives".

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