After calling for a debate in Government time on the public health model pretty much every single week since September (when the Government first announced its intent to implement a public health model to tackle violence), we were today finally granted time to debate this vital subject matter.

I could have spoken for hours on the public health model to reduce youth violence, but I used my limited time to raise examples of successful public health programmes from around the world – from CureViolence in Chicago to the Violence Reduction Unit in Scotland.

We are experiencing a surge in violence not just in London, but across England and Wales. So it can sometimes feel like violence is an inevitable part of the fabric of our society. But violence is not inevitable, and we can work together to tackle it as a society.

You can watch my full speech here: