Longer minimum terms for knife killers could be introduced after a review announced after calls by the family of Ben Kinsella for a change in the law.
Jack Straw said that he would consult judges and other bodies over the different minimum terms imposed for murders carried out with knives and guns.
The Justice Secretary acted days after the family of Ben Kinsella, who was stabbed to death last June, criticised the guidelines under which the starting point for someone convicted of a knife murder is 15 years compared with 30 years for murder with a firearm.
Mr Straw told MPs that there had been anxiety about the disparity between the two starting points and that he would consult with a view to bringing the