Sadiq Khan demands Suella Braverman gets machetes off streets with urgent ban
Suella Braverman must urgently remove dangerous loopholes from her long-overdue zombie knife ban, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has demanded.
The Home Secretary faces calls to toughen up her proposed rules outlawing the blades, as well as machetes, being sold. The Government finally announced such weapons will be banned after more than six years of promises - but they are still available cheaply and legally online.
Mr Khan warned there is no time to waste to bring in the ban - but called on the Home Secretary to go further. He argued manufacturers will find ways around new rules governing how the law defines a zombie knife, and called for an outright ban on machetes.
He also questioned the decision to allow machete-style knives that have a "legitimate use", stating this is unlikely in London. Mr Khan said: “Ministers have my full support on this, and I’ve welcomed their announcements to tighten up the law.
"But the time for talking is over and we need to speed up the legislation so we can ban these awful weapons as soon as possible. The proposals also need to be toughened up to close the loopholes that could still allow the sale of these weapons. I’m determined to do everything in my power to end the scourge of knife crime and continue leading from the front to build a safe London for everyone.”
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Under the terms of the ban, zombie knives must be over eight inches, and have either a serrated edge, more than one hole in the blade, or multiple sharp spikes. In his letter Mr Khan said: "This is something that can easily be circumnavigated by manufacturers by changing the design."
Labour Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Knife crime destroys lives, devastates families and creates fear and trauma in communities. 225,000 young people were victims of violence last year - the highest for over a decade. The Conservatives are failing a generation.
“They keep announcing they will ban lethal zombie knives and machetes. But time and again, they are too slow to act. Enough is enough. We need urgent action. These dangerous weapons have no place on our streets.”
Those involved in importing or selling banned weapons could face two years behind bars - up from six months - under plans announced last month. Police will also be able to seize and destroy knives found on private premises if there are reasonable grounds to think they will be used in a serious crime.
Mr Khan told Ms Braverman: "The Government proposals still allow for machete-style knives that have ‘legitimate use’, which includes for work or leisure. It is highly unlikely, particularly in London, that these weapons could be used for anything other than violence and intimidation.
"I do not believe there is sufficient evidence for them to remain available for purchase. Whilst I accept that there will need to be definitions and descriptions as to what articles the new legislation would cover, I would encourage these to be as wide as possible to prevent any loopholes being created and urge you to bring forward legislation as soon as it is possible to do so."
A Home Office spokeswoman told The Mirror: "Knife crime tears families apart, and we are committed to addressing the root causes of this violence.
“It is already an offence to carry a bladed item over three inches in public without good reason and it is also an offence to threaten them with such a weapon. We are also giving the police more powers to seize these dangerous weapons”
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