Former Cabinet Minister Ann Widdecombe has blasted “lawless London” following a string of knife attacks in the capital this week.
One man has been arrested and another man has been charged in connection to two separate attacks at Kennington underground station and Beckenham Junction train station.
Three people have been hospitalised as a result of the attacks, with two in “critical condition”.
Appearing on GB News, Widdecombe called for “more police on the streets” and vowed to “get our country back”, following the attacks.
Ann Widdecombe says we need to ‘feel safe on our streets’
PA / GB News
When asked by host Patrick Christys is crime in Britain is “spiralling out of control”, Widdecombe cited the Reform Party’s message of “wanting our country back”.
Widdecombe said: “We want an NHS which works. We want an education service which is rigorous. We want a tax system which encourages enterprise, not discourages it. And of course, we want our country back in terms of we want to feel that it’s safe to be out on the streets.”
Widdecombe called for more police officers to be on the streets of the capital, asking “how often do you see policemen?”
She explained: “Whenever I’m doing talks, I always begin by saying when did you last see a policeman? It is common sense that a visible presence on the streets is a deterrent. No presence at all is just a license to commit crime.”
Three people are in hospital following two separate knife attacks at London train stations
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Patrick was in agreement with the former Minister of State for Prisons, and argued: “Obviously there are fewer bobbies on the beat, but there has to be other issues as play here?”
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Patrick added: “There has to be cultural, societal, familial issues, problems in the home. I could have gone my entire life having never met a police officer, but I’ll be honest, I’ve just got no inclination to pick up a knife and use it in anger anyway.
“So it wouldn’t have affected me. Maybe that’s because I had quite a nice home life, I don’t know.”
Widdecombe shared her thoughts on Patrick’s remarks, responding: “Certainly the breakdown of the family plays a tremendous part. So does the breakdown of neighbourhoods and communities and the idea of a general consensus about what is right and what is wrong.
“Certainly in the 50s and 60s, you were brought up to know this is this is right and that is wrong, that now just doesn’t exist.”
Ann Widdecombe says Reform would ‘absolutely build more prisons’ in Britain
GB News
Turning the discussion to prisons, Patrick said that Britain “needs more prisons” and questioned if Widdecombe’s Reform Party would build more prisons if they were elected into power.
Widdecombe revealed: “Reform would certainly build more prisons. Reform is committed to building more prisons. And the fact is that when I was in exactly this situation, when I was prisons minister, there was a 25 per cent rise in the prison population and I didn’t just put my hands up and say we can’t have people in prison.
“I brought in a prison ship from the United States. I brought in cabins from disused Norwegian oil rigs, put them down in medium security prisons. There were all manner of things that could be done if you just had the will.
“What’s happening is the will is completely missing. People have given up and government is very, very complacent.”
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