Two summits in one day, and a simple request: stop marketing knives as weapons
What happened
On 8 October 2026 the Policing and Crime Minister, Sarah Jones MP, hosted two summits about how knives are sold and advertised. The first was with online retailers and marketplaces. They were asked to explain how their knife listings will comply with the law, and what further action they will take against irresponsible marketing. The second was with high street retailers. They were asked to strengthen standards for how knives are displayed and sold in stores, and to support a renewed Responsible Retailers' Scheme - a voluntary code of best practice. The room was wider than retailers alone. Law enforcement, trade associations, Trading Standards, the Advertising Standards Authority and campaigners were all there. The message was blunt. Stop using combat and violence imagery to market knives. Keep dangerous blades out of easy reach. The Home Office linked this directly to the first phase of the Southport public inquiry report, which highlighted irresponsible knife marketing as a factor in fixations on violence. Three girls were murdered in Southport in July 2024. Sarah Jones said: "Businesses and online retailers need to take a hard look at how knives are marketed, sold and displayed". Leanne Lucas, who survived the Southport attack and founded the campaign Let's Be Blunt, said: "We cannot wait for the next tragedy to make simple, practical changes, whether knives are sold in shops or online." Alan Bacon, founder of No Point Knives, whose relative Tracy Bacon was stabbed and killed in 2015, said: "Thanks to this government we finally have the chance to present our evidence to the industry and make a difference." Commander Stephen Clayman, head of the National Knife Crime Centre and the national police lead on knife crime, said: "Responsible selling and marketing practices are vital if we are to reduce children's access to dangerous weapons."
Why this matters
Most knives used in violence are ordinary kitchen knives. That is the uncomfortable fact at the centre of this. So policy has two levers. One is stopping the sale of weapons that have no purpose except harm - zombie knives, machetes and similar. The other is reducing easy access to ordinary blades, and reducing the marketing that frames a knife as a weapon rather than a tool. The second lever is the one these summits were about, and it is the harder one, because it depends on what retailers choose to do rather than only on what the law forbids. The marketing point is not cosmetic. If a product listing uses combat language and violent imagery, it is being sold for a purpose. The Southport inquiry's first phase identified that kind of marketing as feeding fixations on violence - which means this is about the small number of people most at risk of acting, not about the general public's shopping habits. There is also a practical reason to involve Trading Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority: they are the bodies that can act on misleading or irresponsible advertising and on underage sales, and they do not need new legislation to do it.
What the evidence actually says
Be clear about the status of this. These were summits, not a new law. Retailers were challenged, asked and urged. The Responsible Retailers' Scheme is described as voluntary. No new legal duties were created on 8 October, and no retailer commitments were published as agreed outcomes. That does not make it meaningless. Voluntary retail codes have changed practice before, particularly when the alternative on the table is regulation. But the honest description is: a request with momentum behind it, not a rule. The legal backdrop does exist. The Home Office release refers to Ronan's Law, which it describes as introducing stronger safeguards on knife sales, and to recommendations from a 2025 review of online knife sales that the National Knife Crime Centre will continue working on with the Home Office. Two things the release does not contain, which is worth noting if you see this story elsewhere: it includes no crime statistics, and it names no individual retailers. Any article telling you that a particular shop has agreed to a particular change is going beyond what has been published. And a general caution about knife crime numbers. Recorded offences, hospital admissions and police-recorded possession all measure different things and move differently. Be wary of any single figure presented as the trend.
Practical advice
If you have children or teenagers at home, a few things are worth doing regardless of what retailers decide. Keep knives where they belong. A knife block pushed to the back of a worktop, a drawer that is not the one everyone opens, or a locked drawer if there is a specific concern. This is not about distrust; it is the same logic as keeping medicines up high. Know what is in the house. Many households have more blades than they think, including craft knives, multi-tools and old camping kit in a shed. Talk about it early and calmly. Children are far more likely to tell you about a knife at school, or a friend carrying one, if the first conversation was not an interrogation. The most common reason young people give for carrying is fear - so "why would someone your age carry one?" opens more than "you'd never, would you?" Know the law, and make sure they do. In the UK it is illegal to carry a knife in public without good reason, including a folding pocket knife with a blade over three inches. Buying a knife under 18 is illegal. These are not technicalities; they lead to criminal records. If you are worried about a specific young person, Fearless.org takes anonymous information from and about young people, and Crimestoppers takes anonymous reports on 0800 555 111. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. And if you are a retailer or run a small shop, the Responsible Retailers' Scheme is the practical place to start, and Trading Standards will advise on age-verification duties.
What to know
On 8 October 2026 Policing and Crime Minister Sarah Jones MP hosted two Home Office summits on knife sales and marketing - one with online retailers and marketplaces, one with high street retailers. Law enforcement, trade associations, Trading Standards, the Advertising Standards Authority and campaigners attended. Online sellers were asked to explain how listings will comply with the law and what more they will do about irresponsible marketing. Physical retailers were asked to strengthen in-store display and selling standards and to support a renewed, voluntary Responsible Retailers' Scheme. The core request was to stop using combat and violence imagery, and to keep dangerous blades out of easy reach. The Home Office linked this to the first phase of the Southport public inquiry, which identified irresponsible knife marketing as a factor in fixations on violence. Three girls were murdered in Southport in July 2024. No new law was created, no retailer commitments were published as agreed, and no individual retailers were named. The release contains no crime statistics. Legal context includes Ronan's Law and recommendations from a 2025 review of online knife sales. At home: store knives out of easy reach, know what blades are in the house, and talk about carrying early and calmly. Carrying a knife in public without good reason is illegal, including folding pocket knives with blades over three inches, and buying a knife under 18 is illegal. Sources: Home Office, "Retailers challenged to strengthen action on marketing of knives", 8 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/retailers-challenged-to-strengthen-action-on-marketing-of-knives ; Home Office, "Government expands crackdown on knife crime", 18 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-expands-crackdown-on-knife-crime This article is for general information and does not replace advice from the police, a qualified legal adviser, or a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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