Yvette Cooper has announced a public inquiry into the Southport stabbings after murderer Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty.
The Home Secretary said the probe into the murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class was to “get to the truth about what happened and what needs to change”. Earlier Keir Starmer said there are questions to answer on how the young victims of the Southport stabbings were “failed” by the state.
Ms Cooper said Rudakubana, 18, had “contact with a range of different state agencies throughout his teenage years” before carrying out his “meticulously planned rampage”.
She revealed he had been referred to the government’s anti-radicalisation programme, Prevent, on three occasions between December 2019 and April 2021 aged 13 and 14.
In a statement, she said: “The families and the people of Southport also need answers about what happened leading up to this attack. 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 added: “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.
Earlier the PM said the conviction of the “vile and sick Southport killer” Axel Rudakubana was welcome but it was also a “moment of trauma for the nation”.
Rudakubana pleaded guilty today to murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, in a frenzied attack on a Taylor Swift-themed class on July 29.
BLUESKY: Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here – Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn.
POLITICS WHATSAPP: Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
NEWSLETTER: Or sign up here to the Mirror’s Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox.
PODCAST: And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday.
Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, was due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with 16 offences, including three counts of murder. He also admitted the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
In a statement, the PM said: “Our thoughts are with the families of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, and the families of everyone affected, who will be saved the ordeal of a protracted trial.
“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. 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.”
Get UK politics insight with our free daily email briefing straight to your inbox
