Tory Police Minister Nick Hurd has admitted that police cuts are a "factor" driving Britain's rocketing knife crime.
Less money for police forces since the Tories came to power has seen 21,000 officers taken off the beat.
Labour said the admission that the government was failing it its "basic duty to keep the public safe".
It comes as official statistics revealed that 40,829 offences involving a knife or sharp object were recorded for 2018 in England and Wales – a 6% rise on the year before.
Murder and manslaughter also spiked to 732 killings, up from 655 on the previous 12 months.
Homicide rate in England and Wales highest for TEN YEARS amid knife crime rise
During an interview with ITV, Mr Hurd was asked if he thought that swingeing cuts to police numbers had driven the rise in violence on Britain's streets.
Mr Hurd replied: "I genuinely don’t think that fewer police officers are the primary driver behind this.
"As you’ve acknowledged it’s a very complex picture."
Pushed on if he acknowledged that taking 21,000 officers of Britain's street was a factor.
He added: "I’ve always said it is a factor that we have to consider."
School pupils as young as EIGHT carrying knives - with number caught rocketing
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott , said: "By admitting that savage cuts to police numbers have been a factor in rising knife crime, this government accepts it is failing in one of its basic duties – to keep the public safe.
"Labour has consistently said deep cuts to the police were reckless.
"Now, after years of Conservative denials, we hear it from the police minister himself.’
“You can’t keep people safe on the cheap and a Labour Government will recruit thousands of extra police."
The Mirror is campaigning for the government to end Britain's knife epidemic.
Our campaign demanding more police with greater powers, a reverse to youth service cuts, knife awareness in schools, and a knife crime tsar has been backed by victim's relatives, premier league footballers and former Home Secretaries.
