Lily Allen meets with London mayor for knife crime talks
Lily Allen and Boris Johnson meet to discuss plans to knife crime
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Thursday, 17, Jul 2008 12:35
Lily Allen and London mayor Boris Johnson have met to discuss plans to tackle rising knife crime in the capital.
The Smile star had written an appeal on her MySpace page calling for an end to stabbings among London teenagers, with 20 killed as a result of knives in 2008 alone.
"My thoughts are with all the families affected by these heinous crimes," the 22-year-old had written earlier this month.
"We need a knife amnesty, we should put on a big concert to raise awareness and stop the violence. Boris, if you're listening, call me man!"
And the young singer has now met with the newly-installed mayor to discuss ways in which to deal with the apparent epidemic after he expressed his pleasure at her using her celebrity to make a stand against knife crime.
A statement issued by City Hall after Wednesday's meeting said: "Lily had a number of suggestions on how to challenge the notion that carrying a knife is streetwise or cool.
"She also had proposals to encourage teenagers to be more ambitious about themselves and their communities."
Mr Johnson added: "I welcome any constructive suggestions on combating knife crime and Lily Allen has already proved her commitment to help address this problem. I welcome her proposals and am keen to explore further how she can help us address this serious and distressing problem.
"There is nothing romantic or glamorous about knife crime and I'm delighted Lily will be using her considerable profile and fan base to spread that message."