Tories’ broken promise on jail for knife thugs putting public at risk – Richard Burgon

Despite
promising a mandatory ‘two strikes and you’re out’ minimum six-month prison
sentence for carrying a knife, new figures from Ministry of Justice reveal that
more than 2,000 people with one or more convictions for knife possession
escaped an automatic prison sentence.

In
response, Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon, said:

“The
Tories are letting down the victims of crime by making promises they know they
cannot keep.

“Knife
crime is on the rise and the public want to be confident that people carrying
knives face tough sentences.

“Ministers
promised ‘two-strikes-and-you’re-out’ for knife possession, but a third of
adult repeat offenders are still not being sent to prison.

“Rather
than warm words and empty promises, the Tories need to make sure those who
carry these weapons are properly punished.”