Starmer pledges tougher online knife sales regulations

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans for stricter regulations on online knife sales following the tragic murder of three girls by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, who purchased the weapon from Amazon. Starmer described the current ease of access to knives online as 'shockingly easy' and called for the implementation of age verification systems to prevent under-18s from making such purchases. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper echoed these concerns, labeling the situation a 'total disgrace' and promising new measures in the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Proposed regulations may require buyers to provide two forms of identification and undergo a live video verification process. In response, Amazon stated they are conducting an urgent investigation and highlighted their current age verification practices at the point of delivery. The government is moving quickly to address this issue after the latest incident of knife crime, in which a 12-year-old boy was fatally stabbed.