Doorstep knife deliveries face ban after Southport killer bought weapons online

A new Government knife crackdown aims to close a loophole that allowed Southport killer Axel Rudakubana to order weapons online to use in his murderous rampage

Doorstep drop-offs of knives ordered online will be banned in the wake of the Southport murders.

The crackdown aims to close a loophole that allowed killer Axel Rudakubana to buy weapons online for his murderous rampage. Rudakubana, who was only 17 at the time, was able to buy knives on Amazon which he used to kill three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July. Amazon said it had launched an urgent investigation into the case.

Under new proposals, anyone buying a knife online will have to submit photo ID at point of sale and again on delivery. Buyers may also need to submit a current photo or video of themselves to an online retailer alongside their ID, the Home Office said.

Companies will only be able to deliver a knife to the person who bought it. It will also be made illegal to leave a package containing a bladed weapon on a doorstep when no one is in.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It’s a total disgrace how easy it still is for children to get dangerous weapons online. More than two years after Ronan Kanda was killed with a ninja sword bought by a teenager online, too many retailers still don’t have proper checks in place.

“It’s too easy to put in false birth dates, parcels are too often being dropped off at a doorstop with no questions asked. We cannot go on like this. We need much stronger checks – before you buy, before it’s delivered.”

The measures will come in the Crime and Policing Bill, which is expected to be introduced to Parliament in the Spring.

The sale of knives with a fixed blade of more than three inches long to under-18s is illegal in England and Wales. But the current laws don’t spell out how retailers should conduct ID checks.

It comes as Rachel Reeves said “no stone should be left unturned” in the public inquiry into the Southport stabbings. And she said social media companies have a moral responsibility to remove harmful online content after it emerged that some violent videos watched by Rudakubana are still online.

Ms Reeves said: “It is totally unacceptable the fact that the killer, before he went on to commit those horrific crimes, was able to access really easily on some of the online platforms, such hateful material and those companies have got a moral responsibility to take that content down and make it harder for people to access it.”

Ms Cooper and Tech Secretary Peter Kyle have written to Google, TikTok, X and Meta, warning the tech giants that the violent materials could inspire further attacks.

In a statement last week, an Amazon spokesperson said: “We take our responsibility around the sale of all age-restricted items – including bladed products – extremely seriously and have launched an urgent investigation in relation to this tragic case. We use trusted ID verification services to check name, date of birth and address details whenever an order is placed for these bladed items.

“We have an Age Verification on Delivery process that requires drivers to verify the recipient’s age through an app on their devices before handing over a parcel containing an age-restricted item. Our Conditions of Use and Sale make clear that anyone under the age of 18 is not allowed to set up an Amazon account or make purchases.

“The product in question was subject to age verification checks on delivery.”