Keir Starmer to hold No10 press conference and give urgent statement after 'state failure' claims

Keir Starmer is due to host a No10 press conference following his statement that there are questions to be answered about how the young victims of the Southport stabbings were "failed" by the state. The Prime Minister will address the nation at 8.30am on Tuesday, after expressing relief at the conviction of the "vile and sick Southport killer", 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana.

On Monday, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the murder of Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, during a frenzied attack at a Taylor Swift-themed class on July 29. He also admitted to the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

Mr Starmer expressed his sympathy for the families affected, stating they would be "who will be saved from the ordeal of a protracted trial". However, he pledged to "leave no stone unturned" as he announced a public inquiry into the killings.

In an initial statement on Monday, the PM 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."

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has expressed her deep condolences to the families and community affected by the Southport stabbings, stating: "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.", reports the Mirror.

She also announced that a public inquiry will be launched to "get to the truth about what happened and what needs to change". Ms Cooper highlighted that the attacker, Rudakubana, had been in contact with various state agencies during his teenage years and was referred to the Prevent programme three times between December 2019 and April 2021 when he was aged 13 and 14.

In her statement, she said: "The families and the people of Southport also need answers about what happened leading up to this attack. The perpetrator was in contact with a range of different state agencies throughout his teenage years. He was referred three times to the Prevent programme between December 2019 and April 2021 aged 13 and 14."

"He also had 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."

She further stated: "The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has been clear that important information about the perpetrator's past could not be made public before today to avoid jeopardising the legal proceedings or prejudicing the possible jury trial, in line with the normal rules of the British justice systems. Nothing has been more important than securing justice for the families."

"But now that there has been a guilty plea, it is essential that the families and the people of Southport can get answers about how this terrible attack could take place and about why this happened to their children."