State has ‘grave questions’ to answer over Southport killings, says Starmer

There are “grave questions” to answer about how the state failed the Southport murder victims, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The Prime Minister welcomed the news that Axel Rudakubana, 18, of Banks, Lancashire, had pleaded guilty to the murders of three young girls in Southport last July, and pledged to “leave no stone unturned” in investigating why the attack had not been prevented.

The stabbings sparked summer riots across the country.

The Government’s political rivals, including Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, have called on Sir Keir to reveal who at the heart of Government knew what, and when they knew it about Rudakubana, following his guilty plea.

‘Vile’

“The news that the vile and sick Southport killer will be convicted is welcome,” Sir Keir said.

“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.

“At the centre of this horrific event, there is still a family and community grief that is raw, a pain that not even justice can ever truly heal.

“Although no words today can ever truly convey the depths of that pain, I want the families to know that our thoughts are with them and everyone in Southport affected by this barbaric crime. The whole nation grieves with them.”

Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died following the attack at the Taylor Swift-themed class on a small business park in the seaside town shortly before midday on July 29.

The defendant, who was 17 at the time of the attack, admitted their murders as well as the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

‘Complete account’

Ministers must give a “complete account” of who “knew what and when” about Rudakubana, Tory leader Mrs Badenoch said, as she piled pressure on the Government to account for how it responded to the Southport attacks.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, she added: “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.”

Mr Farage had earlier called for Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to appear in Parliament and answer MPs questions about Rudakubana.

He told the PA news agency: “I think that the Government are responsible for the most astonishing cover-up.

“I think that we need an apology from the Home Secretary and an explanation as to why we have been denied the basic truth.”

The Reform leader’s “cover up” claim relates to Rudakubana’s admission he possessed an al Qaida training manual in PDF form, something not revealed in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

Asked if he would be calling for the Government to address the case in the Commons, Mr Farage replied: “We will, as a party, table an urgent question on this. Absolutely.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Labour MP for Southport Patrick Hurley said he is “very pleased” the families of the three victims will not be put through the “mental torture” of a trial.

“There is no good news story here,” Mr Hurley said.

“It’s just a sense of, we are reaching a sense of finality, but this isn’t a case of celebration or jubilation.

“This is just a case of: make sure we remember the victims and the fact that three little girls did lose their lives and were killed and murdered that day.”

Rudakubana will be sentenced on Thursday.