Petition

Remove religious & cultural exemptions for carrying functional blades in public

Rejected 10 signatures

What the petition asks

Amend UK knife laws to remove religious or cultural defences for carrying functional blades in public. Public safety must apply equally: no private belief, tradition or identity should exempt anyone from knife laws.
Functional blades create a foreseeable risk of serious harm in ordinary public settings, including streets, public transport and schools. Once carried, a blade can be used in anger, panic or conflict within seconds. Religious and cultural freedom should be respected through symbolic, non-sharp alternatives, not exemptions allowing weapons in public. The law should put public safety first and apply equally to everyone.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign this petition, which calls for similar action: “Ban carrying religious, cultural & ceremonial bladed & pointed items in public” Ban carrying religious, cultural & ceremonial bladed & pointed items in public

Timeline

2 Jun 2026 Petition opened for signatures
18 Jun 2026 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 10
Status Rejected
Rejected 18 Jun 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Aug 2026.