Sir Keir Starmer will address the nation as an inquiry was announced into the Southport killings (Image: PA)

Keir Starmer to address nation as Government to probe Southport killings

by · Daily Record

Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info

Join us on WhatsApp

The Prime Minister will address the nation on Tuesday morning after the Government announced an inquiry into how the state failed to identify the risk posed by the Southport killer.

Axel Rudakubana, who pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July, was referred three times to anti-extremism programme Prevent amid concerns over his fixation with violence.

But despite this and contact with other state agencies, the authorities failed to stop the attack which claimed the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

Announcing the inquiry on Monday evening, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the country needed “independent answers” on Prevent and other agencies’ contact with the “extremely violent” Rudakubana and “how he came to be so dangerous”.

Following Rudakubana’s guilty pleas, Sir Keir Starmer described the 18-year-old as “vile and sick”, and said there were “grave questions to answer” on how the state “failed” to protect the three girls.

The Prime Minister added: “Britain will rightly demand answers, and we will leave no stone unturned in that pursuit.”

Axel Rudakubana's mugshot was released on Monday after the 18-year-old pled guilty to the murder of three young girls (Image: PA)

As well as the three murders, Rudakubana admitted 10 counts of attempted murder, possession of a knife, production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit acts of terrorism.

The terrorism offence relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual.

Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!

Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.

You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.

All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!

If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.

To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

With some opposition figures alleging a “cover-up” of Rudakubana’s contact with the authorities, Sir Keir is likely to face questions about why this information had not been published earlier.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said on Monday he had been “right all along” when he claimed in the summer that information had been withheld from the public.

But on Monday, the Home Secretary said the information about Rudakubana’s background could not be made public earlier “to avoid jeopardising the legal proceedings or prejudicing the possible jury trial, in line with the normal rules of the British justice system”.

There are also likely to be questions about why the charges relating to the possession of ricin and the al Qaida training manual were not made public for three months after the teenager’s arrest.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said there were many questions that “remain unanswered about what went wrong”.

Welcoming the announcement of a public inquiry, he said: “We also need to know who in Government knew what and when, as well as why the authorities may have withheld some information from the public.”

The Prime Minister is expected to begin his address at 8.30am on Tuesday.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.