Tanya Brown and Zoe McGill respond to PM’s blade bid

But today, as the Prime Minister bids to end “shockingly easy” access to blades online, one of those mums, Tanya Brown, says: “They have said this time and time again – they need to start putting it into practice.”

Tanya, whose son Connor Brown was killed in Sunderland in 2019, asked “how many lives had been lost” since meeting the Labour leader as the knife crime crisis continues to plague communities across the UK.

She said the “lifetime of devastation” must stop: “The system is broken and it is costing lives.”

It comes after it was revealed that Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana, then 17, used a knife bought from Amazon to kill three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last July.

Sir Keir has promised new laws, which could see retailers forced to ask anyone buying a knife for two types of ID, including a live video.  

But Zoe McGill, whose son Jack Woodley was stabbed during a gang attack in 2021, said the Government must look at the bigger picture, saying knives are “dicing with people’s lives”. 

She wants the Government to stop people “before they go on to kill” and clamp down on sentences for those carrying blades: “They walk the streets to kill someone.”
 

‘How many people would’ve been saved?’

Both Mr Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper met Tanya and Zoe in Hartlepool in 2023, where the two mothers were told their moving testimonies would help form the future Labour Government’s policy on knife crime. 

While Tanya welcomed the “good” news of plans to crack down on knives this week, she said it wasn’t anything new and had been promised “so many times before”. 

She told The Northern Echo: “They keep saying they are going to tighten the law on online sales and come down harder on the selling of these. But nothing seems to happen. 

Tanya Brown and Zoe McGill (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“Then with the traumatic incident in Southport, which was absolutely devastating, it’s too late. If they did all this then how many many people would’ve been saved?

“We need action on these laws – they need to stop talking about it and start putting it into practice. They have said this time and time again.”

Zoe claimed that, despite the constant promises, kids “as young as nine and 10” continue to carry knives – arguing ID is not enough to stop them. 

“These are not just the ones you find in Tesco or Asda, we’re talking machetes,” she said. “It’s all good bringing in ID checks however what about the black market? 

The duo meeting Sir Keir in 2023 (Image: Sarah Caldecott)

“That’s where kids are buying these knives from. It is happening all over the North East. My son is 16 and he says: ‘Mam, how are these people able to walk around with knives like this?’

“It is not just about ID, if they want a knife then they’ll get a knife. I just think anything to help is good and I welcome it but they need to be looking at the whole picture.”

Tanya, who continues to be a major activist for knife crime with the Connor Brown Trust charity, said the strategy should be simple: “They just need to tighten up the laws – so do it! 

Connor Brown (Image: Contributor)

“It has a ripple effect – it’s a lifetime of devastation. They need to stop arguing in a political sense – I am sure there is no reason to argue as all parties can agree we need to be tougher. 

“But we need to start acting. Keir Starmer said that to me years ago, he said he was going to be tougher. He made these promises that day. 

“But that was a couple of years ago now – how many lives have been lost since then? The system is broken and it is costing lives.”
 

‘They are not doing enough’

A review of online knife sales is currently being led by Commander Stephen Clayman, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, with the BBC reporting the outcome of the report has since been brought forward from the end of the month. 

The PM, who branded Rudakubana as a “two-click killer”, wrote in The Sun this week that the lessons of the case “could not be clearer” and that the fact he was able to order the murder weapon online without barriers “cannot continue”. 

Axel Rudakubana (Image: Merseyside Police/PA Wire)

Ms Cooper told MPs it is “a total disgrace” that Rudakubana, who had a history of violence, was able to buy a weapon online and promised new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.

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.

However, while Tanya and Zoe both welcome the changes, they say there needs to be more done. Zoe said: “They are not doing enough to deal with it. 

“When anybody has a knife, whether a child or adult, they should be thrown into jail. No chances, no good behaviour. To learn. 

Keir Starmer at Downing Street this week (Image: Henry Nicholls/PA Wire)

“They walk the streets to kill someone. They are dicing with people’s lives. We need to deal with the sentences and the people before they go on to kill.”

While Tanya appreciates it may be trickier to deal with foreign importations of knives, she agreed that more should be done: “These foreign websites are tougher and we can only do what we can within our jurisdiction. 

“But this is where Border Control comes in. But we can stop our stores selling them and we need to clamp down.”

The Northern Echo continues to work with victims of knife crime through its Knife Crime Taskforce, which was launched in 2023 as a place to hold open discussions between those impacted by murder, education specialists, and criminal justice professionals. 

Jack Woodley

The initiative was launched in response to several fatal stabbings across the region, including the deaths of Jack and Connor. 

The body aims to provide ‘joined-up thinking’ – with Ms Cooper previously saying it could be used as a blueprint for fighting crime in the UK.

Some of the victims of knife crime. Clockwise from top left, Connor Brown, Chris Cave, Tomasz Oleszak and Jack Woodley (Image: Contributor)

The task force is meeting this Friday (January 24) in County Durham to discuss the Prime Minister’s announcement and potential new policy this week.

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen welcomed the news of the new regulations on knives proposed by Mr Starmer: “Any preventative barriers we can implement to stop young people accessing lethal weapons that can cause untold damage in the wrong hands are to be welcomed. 

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“I strongly support the introduction of such legislation alongside greater use of technology to facilitate these verification checks.

“Too many lives are shattered by knife crime and serious violence. Alongside tougher purchasing rules, it is important we continue to invest in early intervention and prevention programmes that stop young people being drawn to serious violence in the first place and ultimately prevent more needless deaths and injuries on our streets.”

When contacted by The Northern Echo about the concerns raised by Zoe and Tanya, the Home Office referred to the PM’s words printed in The Sun newspaper, as previously reported here: https://tinyurl.com/2s42yu8p