25 YEARS FOR KNIFE MURDERS

But the new minimum would still be short of the 30-year “tariff” for killers who use guns.

And critics warned that the move would be meaningless if offenders were not caught – or were freed early because of lack of prison places.

Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve welcomed the move but said without more police on the street or more prison places it would be “yet another empty gesture”.

Mr Straw’s statement followed a review ordered amid public anger at the sentences handed out to the murderers of 16-year-old Londoner Ben Kinsella.

The Justice Secretary said he was writing to the Kinsella family to tell them the outcome.