Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to use the testimony of two grieving mothers to help form Labour policy on knife crime after a regional daily arranged for them to meet.

The Labour leader and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper met with Zoey McGill and Tanya Brown, whose sons Jack Woodley and Connor Brown were both stabbed to death in separate incidents.

The 18-year-olds’ deaths prompted the Northern Echo to campaign against knife violence in the North-East of England, with the newspaper calling on both Sir Keir and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to meet the families of the victims.

Sir Keir responded to a front page plea by the women and told them they would be in his thoughts when forming policy if he becomes Prime Minister after the next General Election.  The Darlington-based Echo splashed on the meeting yesterday.

Sir Keir told the paper: “For me, this was really powerful, and this is why we wanted to meet. We need to hear first hand and see the impact it has had on families and the ripple effect.

“I am a big believer in working with people who have been affected.”

Speaking to HTFP, Echo editor Gavin Foster said: “We have been campaigning relentlessly to have the voices of those hit by knife crime heard in the hope for change, for action on the ease at which young people can buy weapons, to examine sentencing and punishments for greater deterrents and more importantly for vital funding for schemes to educate our young people to put down the blades.

“These mums wrote an open letter to our Prime Minister, pleading to be heard and we asked for Rishi Sunak to hear their pleas in person.

“But all we have had so far is platitude. Crime Minister Chris Philp replied back on behalf of the PM – passing on condolences and agreeing to listen first hand. That was back in December and so far, nothing.

“Keir Starmer had previously pledged to meet the mums of Jack Woodley and Connor Brown and was true to his word this week.

“Looking into the faces of these two heartbroken mums and listening to their accounts firsthand moved him to tears. And it clearly had an impact, with Keir pledging to use their accounts to form Labour’s policy on tackling knife crime.

“We and more importantly the families see this as a hugely positive step forward. But where is Rishi Sunak in this and our government? How many more lives need to be lost before they truly listen?”