Commons holds general debate on serious violence

The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, opened the debate on behalf of the Goverment. He opened the debate with the following remarks:

"We cannot ignore the rise of serious violence. Already this year we have seen seven fatal stabbings on London's streets. I have met families of victims and seen at first hand the devastation that brutal violence can cause. I have seen police on the frontline working flat out to make our streets safer, and we must of course all do that we can to help them.

As Home Secretary, my number one priority is to keep Britain safe. To do this, I am tackling serious violence head-on. As the threat has increased, so too has our response. I have listened to expert advice and acted wherever and whenever I could. I have been relentless in this mission so far, but it is clear that more must be done to stop this senseless slaughter; for the sake of all our young people, we are determined to deliver. That is why we published our serious violence strategy last April. We set out a tough law enforcement response that made it clear that this alone was not enough."

Shadow Home Secretary,  Diane Abbott, replied on behalf of the Opposition and said:

"The violent crime epidemic that we face is at least partly to do with austerity, the policies of this Government and the funding of the police. The Opposition are committed, when the time comes, to taking serious, co-ordinated action to start to push back on this rise in toxic and frightening violent crime."

• Watch Parliament TV: General debate on serious violence
• Read Commons Hansard: General debate on serious violence
• Read the Serious Violence Strategy [external link]

What is a general debate?

General debates give MPs an opportunity to discuss a topic - chosen by the Government - in the Chamber of the House of Commons. Members take it in turns to speak and there are rules and conventions that are followed.

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