Haringey Labour failed on Monday night to support moves that would have encouraged the Government to increase the maximum sentence for carrying a knife in public without good reason from 2 years to 7 years.

In a motion proposed by Lib Dem Opposition Leader Cllr Neil Williams, the Council would have pushed for the maximum sentence for carrying a knife to be brought into line with the maximum sentence for carrying a firearm – but Haringey Labour voted against that motion.

Cllr Neil Williams (Lib Dem, Highgate) comments:

“It is very disappointing that Haringey Labour chose to try making this a party political issue. Knife crime is a serious problem around London and it needs a serious solution. Current maximum penalties are insufficient – whether you are killed by a knife or by a gun, the end result is the same and the law should reflect that. “

The Lib Dems are pointing out that Haringey Labour tabled a party political amendment, containing untruths and misrepresentations of Lib Dem policy – both concerning the original motion and a range of other subjects.

Every Haringey Labour councillor present in the chamber at last night’s Full Council meeting voted for a motion that had been exposed as containing a blatant falsehood.

In an amendment to the Lib Dem motion designed to help tackle knife crime, Haringey Labour stated that Lib Dems in the GLA had voted against the introduction of Safer Neighbourhood teams for every ward in Haringey (and across London). Despite the Council meeting being told that this was completely false, the Labour councillors still voted through the amendment.

Cllr Matt Davies (Lib Dem, Fortis Green) comments:

“It really beggars belief that Labour councillors would pass a motion ‘deploring’ something which never actually happened – despite having been told that the statement in the amendment was untrue, with documentation to back that up.

“As in every year on the GLA, the Lib Dems this year proposed more spending on police, which the Mayor rejected. The Lib Dems proposals matched all the funding put forward by the Mayor and fully supported the roll out of Safer Neighbourhood teams. We actually proposed extra police in London: an extra 272 British Transport Police, but the Labour Mayor cut this down to just 89. The Lib Dem budget amendment proposed absolutely no cuts to the police service budget.

“Our Lib Dem colleagues at the GLA voted against the Mayor’s Transport for London budget, his core GLA budget and the LDA budget – as these are areas where he is unnecessarily pushing up the amount of tax Londoners pay or failing to spend their money wisely.However, the vote on the Mayor’s police budget was unanimous. Everyone in the GLA from all parties, including the Lib Dems, supported it. “

Cllr Neil Williams, Lib Dem Leader, comments:

“The Lib Dems fully support all extra investment in London ‘s police service including the money which will allow the Safer Neighbourhood rollout. This has always been the case and is backed up by everything our politicians around London have said and done – and backed up by plenty of official documentation too.

“For Haringey Labour to help the Mayor to spread these falsehoods makes them look at best very foolish. Like the recent rewriting of history they have been trying with their u-turn on plans to double the environment PR budget, it just shows that they are trying to fool Haringey residents. It won’t work.”