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A teacher accused the Government of "shirking" its responsibility over youth knife crime in a blistering attack on Tory policy on the BBC's Question Time.

As the Government struggles to tackle the crisis, the audience member laid into Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright, saying cuts to early intervention measures were "disgraceful" and the solution was not "the Premier League or extra drama classes".

The frustrated woman told the panel in London - the epicentre of Britain's knife crime crisis - that some of the pupils she has taught have been killed or have killed.

She hit out at Theresa May's strategy as the Prime Minister faces a backlash after trying to make teachers responsible for stopping teens from getting involved in violence.

(Image: BBC)

Amid a surge in fatal stabbings across the country, the teacher told Mr Wright the Government needs to put more money and resources into prevention and early intervention services.

She said a “sticking plaster” had been placed on the number of cuts to the education budget.

To applause at times, she said: “What this is really about is the Government shirking responsibility for why we are where we are.

“Children that I have taught have been killed, children that I have taught have killed.

(Image: BBC)

“The reason we are where we are, and it isn’t going to be remedied by the Premier League or extra drama classes, is because we have had millions of pounds worth of cuts to preventative early intervention services that are vital for young people in this country."

She added: “The fact that (Home Secretary) Sajid Javid said that this week - it was on April the 1st, I thought it was an April Fools’ joke - because the disregard that our Government has for people who are on the ground doing this work, who know why we are where we are, to suggest that teachers and nurses, who already do all of this anyway, could be in some way further responsible for the fact that children are killing each other because there is nothing left for many of those children in society is disgraceful, and it says a lot about our Government."

As Mr Wright sought to respond, the teacher said: “Our Government doesn’t trust us. You can shrug your shoulders, and that’s the point isn’t it?

(Image: BBC)

"That we’ve got people in Government who do, they shrug their shoulders, they tell us what the reality is for us for people who are doing the jobs, and then they come out with sound bites like, ‘Oh, teachers and nurses you can identify people who are at risk and if not you will be accountable’.

“It’s disgraceful. This is why the Government is not fit for purpose any more.”

The woman, who said she has been in education for 15 years, was responding to the Prime Minister's crunch summit on knife crime at No 10 earlier this week.

Mrs May triggered a backlash when it emerged a consultation on the Government's strategy will assess the extent to which those on the front line will be held to account for failing to prevent a young person getting involved in violence.

She was accused of "scapegoating" teachers.

Mr Javid floated the idea of a so-called “public health duty” intended to help pinpoint warning signs a youngster could be in danger, “such as presenting in A&E with a suspicious injury, to worrying behaviour at school or issues at home”.

Teachers and nurses have hit back at the plans.