Lewis Silkin are most popular:


within Cannabis & Hemp, Law Practice Management and Criminal Law topic(s)
in United Kingdom
with readers working within the Retail & Leisure industries

The UK government is consulting about introducing a licensing
system for sellers and importers of knives and bladed articles.

Although there are restrictions on the sale of knives to
individuals under the age of 18, the government is concerned about
cases where young people have still been able to purchase knives.
Under 18s have been able to use adults’ identification
documents to purchase knives online and these knives have then been
used for crimes, including homicide.

In February 2025, Commander Steve Clayman’s review of online knife sales was published and
made various recommendations. The government accepted the
recommendations on stronger age verification for online sales and
delivery of knives and retailers reporting bulk purchases of knives
online, and introduced legislation in the Crime and Policing Bill,
currently going through Parliament.

One of the review’s other recommendations concerned the
introduction of a registration scheme for sellers of knives,
requiring the buyer to be recorded, retained and made available to
law enforcement upon request. The review also recommended the
introduction of import licensing to control the importation of
knives from overseas.

Licensing scheme for sellers

Therefore, the government is proposing introducing registration
through a licensing scheme for sales of knives and bladed articles.
It would apply to both business and private sellers selling knives
and bladed articles. It thinks that the best body to administer the
licensing system for knife and bladed article sellers is the police
as they have the relevant experience of running the firearms
licensing scheme. Where the seller is a larger business, or not
just an individual seller, the government proposes that the
business would need to have a designated licence holder, similar to
an alcohol designated premises supervisor.

The licensing system for knives and bladed articles will be
self-funding and on a full cost recovery basis, being funded
through the fees payable by licence holders. The licence will need
to be renewed every three years, which will incur a renewal
fee.

Suitability checks would include the police conducting
background checks on the individual such as whether they have a
criminal record and whether they have any other intelligence on the
individual which is relevant, such as evidence of dishonesty.

It would be a criminal offence to sell a knife or bladed article
without the relevant licence to do so. Where a seller is found to
be selling without a licence, they may be subject to enforcement
action.

Importation licences

The government also proposes introducing licences to import
knives and bladed articles. This is because any regulation on the
UK market could encourage people to look to buy from sellers based
abroad and therefore, import licensing would be important in
preventing circumvention of sellers’ licensing. It would be a
criminal offence to import any knife or bladed article without an
import licence. Where imports are found to be made without a
licence, the individual or business importing the knife or bladed
article may be subject to enforcement action.

The government intends that the proposed changes would also make
it easier for the police and Trading Standards to identify where
knives have come from and check sellers’ compliance with knife
legislation.

The consultation ends on 24 February 2026.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.