Humiliation for Labour on knife crime

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she was “sorry” that the Government had been “too quick off the mark”. And Downing Street said it was a “matter of regret”.

The Home Office and Downing Street were attacked last week by the statistics watchdog over the “premature, irregular and selective” use of data.

They had published figures as Gordon Brown and Ms Smith launched a campaign against knife crime. The statistics purported to show a fall in the number of young stab victims in 10 areas targeted by police.

Sir Michael Scholar, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, said rules were broken because the figures had not yet been checked and were only one element of wider findings. Downing Street had published them despite top statisticians’ pleas not to do so, and the Government was accused of spin.

Ms Smith told the Commons yesterday: “I am sorry that I think we were too quick off the mark with the publication of one number in relation to the progress that had been made with tackling knife crime.” Gordon Brown’s official spokesman said later: “This point was a matter of regret, which I think the Home Secretary has now made clear.”

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve had pressed Ms Smith to apologise for the “gross and deliberate breach” of the rules.

He told her: “If you were involved, why should you be trusted in future on what you say?

“If you weren’t, doesn’t it show yet again that you are not in charge of your department and you are in fact incapable of discharging your responsibilities properly?”

Ms Smith urged him to join her “in recognising the considerable progress” being made against youth knife crime and she praised police.

The top civil servant at Number 10 has acknowledged that “insufficient attention” was paid to officials and talks will be held in Whitehall to prevent a repeat.