AN Enfield MP has been elected to a parliamentary body that investigates justice legislation after running an anti-knife crime campaign with the Enfield Independent.

Enfield North MP Nick de Bois will sit on the Justice Select Committee – which examines the policy of the Ministry of Justice and provides reports with recommendations.

Mr de Bois is currently running the Don't Carry, Don't Kill campaign with the Enfield Independent, and handed a petition signed by hundreds of people in the borough to Parliament on Friday.

The petition calls for an amendment to legislation currently going through Parliament that would mean under 18s would also receive a mandatory prison sentence for using a knife in a threatening or endangering fashion.

Mr de Bois said: “Being elected to the Justice Select Committee allows me to help shape the way the Government approaches important issues like knife crime.

“The committee is a powerful voice for parliamentarians and I'm therefore pleased that I will have the opportunity to raise issues affecting people in Enfield and further the knife crime campaign.”

Pressure is building on Prime Minister David Cameron and Justice Secretary Ken Clarke to accept the amendment, with at least 40 MPs from the Conservatives and Labour backing the proposal.