Home Secretary Amber Rudd will vow to do "whatever it takes" to make Britain's streets safe as she unveils plans to combat a worrying rise in stabbings, shootings and acid attacks.

The Serious Violence Strategy she announces on Monday is underpinned by £40m of Home Office funding and led by a new Offensive Weapons Bill that aims to make it particularly harder for young criminals to arm themselves.

However, after a wave of violent gun and knife crime in London, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will unite with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to accuse the Tories of "reckless failure" by cutting police numbers and slashing funds for local services.

Government officials insist the new strategy marks a "major shift" by striking a balance between prevention and law enforcement.

Plans for the crackdown were first announced last year before details to tackle guns, knives and acid crimes with a new Offensive Weapons Bill emerged at the weekend.

Ms Rudd is expected to highlight the importance of stopping youngsters carrying knives, while identifying changes in the drugs market as a "key driver" on the violence affecting communities.

In a speech in London, Ms Rudd is expected to say: "This strategy represents a real step-change in the way we think about and respond to these personal tragedies, these gruesome violent crimes which dominate the front pages of our newspapers with seemingly depressing regularity.

"A crucial part of our approach will be focusing on and investing more in prevention and early intervention."

The home secretary on Sunday rejected suggestions there were not enough officers on the streets. However, Labour are lining up a renewed attack on police numbers.

Mr Corbyn will highlight the loss of 21,000 police officers across the UK since 2010 as he and Mr Khan launch Labour's local election campaign in London.

The party leader will argue: "You simply cannot maintain community cohesion when you slash funding to the police service and cut the number of officers on our streets by 21,000.

"You cannot protect local communities when you cut funding to local councils to such an extent they are unable to provide the essential youth service support that stops many young people from being drawn into violent crime.

Mr Corbyn will add: "Young people with their lives ahead of them are being ripped from our communities. Too many families are facing the loss of a child they have nurtured in their early years - never to see the potential of that love and support realised.

"As political leaders we must act. We have to tackle full on the reasons so many of our young people are having their lives extinguished."

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott cited police numbers as she criticised the funding for the new crime strategy.

Ms Abbott said the government "has only just woken up to the problem of rising violent crime" and added: "Acknowledging the need to tackle causes as well as effects of violent crimes is welcome but the money committed is very small scale.

"I am appealing to the Home Secretary to commit to no further decline in police numbers for as long as this Government is in office."