Yvette Cooper has announced a public inquiry into how Southport killer Axel Rudakubana “came to be so dangerous” after the 18-year-old pleaded guilty to the murders of three young girls on Monday.
The Home Secretary said Britain must “face up to why this has been happening and what needs to change” with an inquiry to find out the “truth”.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died following the horrific attack at the Taylor Swift-themed class before midday on July 29.
Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to attempting to murder eight other children and two adults, including dance instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a public inquiry after Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the murders of three young girls in Southport
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Cooper confirmed the 18-year-old had “contact with a range of different state agencies throughout his teenage years” before carrying out his “meticulously planned rampage”.
It comes after Rudakubana had been referred to the Government anti-extremism scheme Prevent three times before he stabbed the three young girls to death.
He was referred to ‘Prevent’ due to concerns about his obsession with violence, though he was found not to be motivated by a terrorist ideology.
In a statement, Copper said: “The families and the people of Southport 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 added: “We also need more independent answers on both Prevent and all the other agencies that came into contact with this extremely violent teenager as well as answers on how he came to be so dangerous, including through a public inquiry that can get to the truth about what happened and what needs to change.”
Sir Keir Starmer previously said there are “grave questions” to answer about how the state failed the Southport murder victims.
The Prime Minister said: “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.”
