Sir Keir Starmer vows to act to end 'shockingly easy' access to knives online after Southport tragedy

Online retailers could soon face stringent new measures to curb knife sales to minors, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned it is "shockingly easy" for young people to purchase blades.

The drive for robust checks comes after the horrific Southport murders where Axel Rudakubana used a knife bought from Amazon to tragically end the lives of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance eventlast July.

The Government is now pledging to introduce legislation that may compel retailers to require two forms of ID from knife purchasers. The BBC has reported that buyers might have to provide an official document, such as a passport or driver's licence, alongside recording a live video to confirm their age.

Employment minister Alison McGovern said new measures to use two-factor identification to prevent under-age people from buying knives are needed to stop the “absolute devastation” caused by the flow of blades.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs it is a “a total disgrace” that Rudakubana, then 17 and with a history of violence, was able to buy a weapon online and promised new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill this spring.

Writing in The Sun, Sir Keir said: “It remains shockingly easy for our children to get their hands on deadly knives. The lessons of this case could not be clearer.

“Time and again, as a child, the Southport murderer carried knives. Time and again, he showed clear intent to use them.

“And yet, tragically, he was still able to order the murder weapon off of the internet without any checks or barriers. A two-click killer. This cannot continue.

"The technology is there to set up age verification checks, even for kitchen knives ordered online.

"We must now use it to protect our children from future