Cherie's comment was seized upon by Britain's Opposition Conservative Party, who described them as a "sad indictment" on the failure of the former Labour premier's 1997 promise to get tough on crime and its causes.

"As a parent, I am concerned about knife crime and what happens when my children go on the streets," the high-profile lawyer, who has four children, was quoted as saying by the The Daily Express.

Cherie demanded that the authorities arrange for "high-profile policing" to "harry" knife-carrying thugs, the report said.

According to the British tabloid, she told a top panel of the House of Commons that pupils were fearful of moving to secondary school because of the knifing threat.