Starmer promises tougher rules on online knife sales after Southport murders
22 January 2025, 15:14
The Prime Minister said it was ‘unacceptable that these murder weapons could be bought with two clicks’ online.
Sir Keir Starmer promised urgent action to prevent under-18s buying knives online, saying it was “shockingly easy” for killers such as Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana to get their hands on weapons.
Rudakubana used a knife bought from Amazon to kill three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside, in July.
The Government has promised new laws, which could see retailers forced to ask anyone buying a knife for two types of identification.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “It is unacceptable that these murder weapons could be bought with two clicks. Technology is there to stop it, and we’re going to take action.”
He told MPs: “The senseless, barbaric murder of three young girls in Southport was devastating.
“A measure of justice has been done, but for the victims, the injured and the affected, we must see a fundamental change in how Britain protects its citizens and its children.”
He promised that the public inquiry announced by the Government “will not let any institution deflect from their failings” in the case.
Under the shake-up of online knife sale laws, buyers could be asked to submit an official identity document, such as a passport or driving licence, and also record a live video to prove their age.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs it is “a total disgrace” that Rudakubana, then 17 and with a history of violence, was able to buy a weapon online, and promised new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.
Writing in The Sun, Sir Keir said: “It remains shockingly easy for our children to get their hands on deadly knives. The lessons of this case could not be clearer.
“Time and again, as a child, the Southport murderer carried knives. Time and again, he showed clear intent to use them.
“And yet, tragically, he was still able to order the murder weapon off of the internet without any checks or barriers.”
The need for action on knife crime has been further illustrated after a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham on Tuesday.
A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the youngster was found with serious injuries near Scribers Lane in Hall Green shortly after 3pm on Tuesday.
Commander Stephen Clayman, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, is leading a review of online knife sales and had been due to report at the end of this month, but the plans are now being brought forward.
The forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill is also set to introduce new sanctions for senior tech executives whose companies fail to operate within the law on knife sales.
The current law states that retailers must verify the age of the customer before selling a knife and, for those bought online, at the point of collection or delivery.
An Amazon spokesman said: “We take our responsibility around the sale of all age-restricted items – including bladed products – extremely seriously and have launched an urgent investigation in relation to this tragic case.
“We use trusted ID verification services to check name, date of birth and address details whenever an order is placed for these bladed items.
“We have an age-verification-on-delivery process that requires drivers to verify the recipient’s age through an app on their devices before handing over a parcel containing an age-restricted item.”
