PM Starmer Launches Inquiry into Southport Child Murders by Axel Rudakubana, Warns of New Terror Threat

Jan 21, 2025, 08:37 AM

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a public inquiry into the murders of three young girls in Southport by teenager Axel Rudakubana. In a statement from Downing Street, Starmer acknowledged that the state had failed in its ultimate duty to protect the victims, saying there were 'grave questions' to answer and that 'nothing will be off the table' in the inquiry. He pledged to leave 'no stone unturned' in investigating the failings that led to the attack and stated, 'I will not let any institution of the state deflect from their failure'. Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty to murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a dance class in Southport last July. The Prime Minister revealed that Rudakubana had previously been referred to the Prevent counter-extremism programme, but despite warnings about his violent tendencies and interest in extreme content, he was not stopped. Starmer admitted that the Prevent services' failure to intervene was 'clearly wrong'. Addressing the evolving nature of terrorism, Starmer warned that Britain now faces a 'new threat' from 'loners and misfits' radicalised online, stating that 'terrorism has changed'. He committed to reviewing the country's entire counter-terrorism system and indicated that laws may need to change to recognise this new and dangerous threat, saying, 'If the law needs to change to recognise this new and dangerous threat, then we will change it, and quickly'. The Prime Minister also denied accusations of a 'cover-up', explaining that revealing certain details earlier could have risked collapsing the trial and allowing the perpetrator to walk free. He emphasised his commitment to ensuring that all state institutions are held accountable for their failures in this case, stating, 'If any shortcomings are now holding back the ability of this country to keep its citizens and its children safe, I will find them and I will root them out'.