Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not respond to MP Stella Creasy’s request for a personal meeting

MP Stella Creasy speaking in Parliament last week (credit: Parliament)

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy made an urgent plea to the Prime Minister last week after a teenager was stabbed to death in her constituency.

Renell Charles, a 16-year-old from Leytonstone “with brilliant potential”, was killed just outside his secondary school, Kelmscott School in Markhouse Road, at the end of the school day on 5th May.

Two days later, another 16-year-old boy was charged with murder after handing himself in at an East London police station.

Last week, MP Creasy spoke in Parliament, pleading Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “make the epidemic of youth crime” a “national priority”.

She said: “Renell’s family are heartbroken, children are terrified to go to school, their parents are frightened to let them and the teachers are at their wit’s end.

“Will the Prime Minister meet with me and representatives from my local community to talk about how we can get the mental health and mentoring support these young people need, so that every young person in our country has the future they deserve?”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not respond to the request for a meeting but expressed his sympathy to Renell’s family and said the government will “always look to do more to make sure the streets are safe for young people”.

He said: “I am pleased that knife crime has fallen almost 10% and serious youth violence has fallen by 24% in the last few years. That’s because we are giving the police the powers they need.”

In her newsletter to residents, MP Creasy said she will “not be deterred” by the Prime Minister ignoring her request for a meeting.

She also provided a link to a fundraiser set up by Renell’s family to contribute to the cost of his funeral – donate here.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.