SINGLE mums have attacked ex-Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw and accused him of "blaming them" for the current knife crime epidemic.

Parents hit out after Sir Michael appeared on Good Morning Britain and pointed the finger at absent dads for the explosion in violent crime.

15 Sir Michael Wilshaw argued that fathers were not providing strong role models Credit: GMB

But angry single mums across the country accused him of blaming them for not controlling their children, describing it as an "insult".

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Sir Michael argued young people were turning to violence as they had no father-figures to guide them, saying: "When I was teaching 50 years ago, when we had a problem with a youngster, mum and dad used to turn up.

"Even though they may be separated, even though they may be going through all sorts of family problems, mum and dad always turned up. You don’t see that now - this is about dads not caring.

"Dads are neglecting their children and providing terrible role models to their young men who then go astray."

15 Leroy Logan, a former senior police officer, added more needed to be done to work with communities Credit: GMB

15 The debate over London's rising street violence became heated

But the top educator who was executive principal of Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney in London, was criticised by parents who accused him of appearing to lay the blame on single mums for not raising their kids properly.

Many people took to social media to complain about Sir Michael's comments, with one person writing: "So single mothers are raising killers? Tbh I’m a little bit insulted by that."

Another posted quickly, writing: "In a word no! It’s like saying these single mothers have done a bad job bring up their children alone."

Another added: "Blaming single parent mothers. Classic 80s move that. The system works against single parent mothers, always has and always will."

15 Others said that young people were 'lost' Credit: Twitter

15 One person said single parents weren't to blame after the interview on GMB Credit: Twitter

15 One viewer pointed out it took both parents Credit: Twitter

15 Another single mum said she would never entertain violence from her children Credit: Twitter

A fourth said: "@GMB - I am disgusted at the "absent fathers" discussion!! I am a single mother of 2 boys, who would never entertain violence in any form!! #pigeonholing #anyexcuse #notallthesame"

Another added: "I'm a single dad and my kids are great .I think single dad's work hard to make sure their kids are ok.

"Sometime i think its just an excuse to say it absent dads that have caused kids to go off the rails. it takes hard work to make sure kids are safe."

But another viewer appeared to agree with Sir Michael, saying: "I think the kids today have no respect for authority.

"That expect to be respected by all but won’t earn it. I take on apprentice and it requires both parents to get the kids through.

"If the parents are not bothered then neither are the kids. Dad is so important".

15 One single mum said she was insulted by the debate Credit: Twitter

15 Credit: Twitter

15 One single dad said he worked hard for his kids Credit: Twitter

15 One viewer said that there were many contributing factors Credit: Twitter

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Leroy Logan, a former senior police officer, agreed that the issue stemmed from the lack of fathers as role models to "some extent", but added that safe guarding agencies needed more support.

Speaking to hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, he said: "We are looking at why violence happens now, and parenting is very important.

"But what we need to do is make sure young people are at the centre of what we do, so we know why they pick up a knife.

"In a lot of ways, it's peer pressure and fear."

15 One viewer said that single mothers could make a positive change in their children's lives Credit: Twitter

15 Some pointed out that single mothers were blamed for many problems Credit: Twitter

15 Others said they 'totally disagreed' with the concept Credit: Twitter

15 A number of viewers were offended at the idea that single parents were to blame Credit: Twitter

Last night, police launched a murder investigation after a man was killed after a shooting in North West London.

The man was found injured outside the Queensbury Tube station just before 9pm, tragically dying at the scene.

Another man in his 20s was taken to a North London hospital with gunshot wounds.

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It comes after London's murder rate overtook New York's for the first time, with the Met Police launching 62 murder investigations in 2018 as bloodshed gripped the capital.

Fifteen people were murdered in London in February, compared to 11 in the Big Apple.

The number of London murders for March also beat New York's with 23 and 21 respectively - 13 of those in the UK capital coming in just 19 days.

London crime chief slammed for insisting capital is among 'safest cities in the world' despite 49 murders this yea