An inquiry into the Southport stabbings has been announced by the government.
It comes after Axel Rudakubana, 18, admitted murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in the attack in Southport, Merseyside, in July last year.
In a statement, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The families and the people of Southport need answers about what happened leading up to this attack.”
Politics latest: PM says ‘grave questions to answer’ over Southport
She added that “more independent answers” are needed on what happened – “including through a public inquiry that can get to the truth about what happened and what needs to change”.
Rudakubana is set to be sentenced on Thursday – with the judge saying a life sentence is “inevitable”.
Sir Keir Starmer said earlier today: “The news that the vile and sick Southport killer will be convicted is welcome.
“It is also a moment of trauma for the nation and there are grave questions to answer as to how the state failed in its ultimate duty to protect these young girls.
“Britain will rightly demand answers. And we will leave no stone unturned in that pursuit.”
It has now emerged that Rudakubana was referred to the government anti-extremism scheme – known as Prevent – three times before the murders due to a fixation with violence.
In her statement, Ms Cooper said these three referrals happened in the 17 months between December 2019 and April 2021, when Rudakubana was 13 and 14 years old.
He was also in contact with the police, the courts, the youth justice system, social services and mental health services.
“Yet between them, those agencies failed to identify the terrible risk and danger to others that he posed,” Ms Cooper said.
After the attacks in July 2024, there were calls for more information about what was known by authorities to be released and violent riots took place across the country.
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Ms Cooper said the government were not able to release more information sooner about Rudakubana because the Crown Prosecution Service wanted to “avoid jeopardising the legal proceedings” – including any potential trials – “in line with the normal rules of the British justice systems”.
However, the government launched an “urgent” review into Rudakubana’s contact with Prevent last summer – and details will be published this week.
Ms Cooper said this “terrible case” comes against a “backdrop” of increasing numbers of teenagers being referred to Prevent, investigated by anti-terror police being referred to other agencies “amid concerns around serious violence and extremism”.
“We need to face up to why this has been happening and what needs to change,” she said.
Speaking earlier today, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “As we learn more details of Axel Rudakubana’s horrific crimes, my thoughts are first and foremost with the victims’ families.
“We will need a complete account of who in government knew what and when. The public deserves the truth.
“This case is still in court and there are, properly, limits on what can be said at this stage.
“But once it concludes on Thursday with sentencing, there are many important questions the authorities will need to answer about the handling of this case and the flow of information.”
Read more:
Mugshot of Axel Rudakubana released
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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused the government of a “cover-up”, and said the “vacuum of information” led to the riots.
He called on Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to make an apology in the Commons.
