Starmer to address nation on Axel Rudabukana after horror of triple killer’s past revealed

Prime Minister is set to address the nation on Tuesday morning following the Government’s announcement of an inquiry into how the state failed to identify and act on the threat posed by Southport killer .

The inquiry comes amid mounting pressure to explain what ministers and officials knew about Rudakubana’s risk profile and when they became aware of it.

Rudakubana, who pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July, had been referred to the Government’s Prevent programme on three separate occasions due to concerns about his obsession with violence.

Despite these warnings and other interactions with state agencies, no effective action was taken to prevent the horrific attack that claimed the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the inquiry on Monday evening, stressing the need for “independent answers” about Prevent’s failings and the authorities’ broader handling of Rudakubana.

She said: “The country needs to understand how someone so extremely violent came to pose such a terrible danger.”

The delay in disclosing critical details about Rudakubana’s contact with state agencies has sparked accusations of a cover-up, with opposition leaders demanding full transparency about who in Government knew what and why the warnings went unheeded.

Rudakubana’s guilty pleas included not only the murders but also 10 counts of attempted murder, possession of a knife, production of ricin, and possession of a PDF entitled Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al Qaeda Training Manual.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “There are grave questions to answer about what went wrong. We also need to know who in Government was informed, when they were informed, and why some of this information was withheld from the public for so long.”

Adding to the controversy, details of Rudakubana’s possession of ricin and extremist material were only made public three months after his arrest.

Reform UK leader claimed the delay confirmed his earlier suspicions of a cover-up, while the Home Secretary defended the timing, arguing that legal proceedings and the need to avoid prejudicing a jury trial required withholding certain facts.

With public confidence shaken, the Prime Minister acknowledged the nation’s demand for clarity.

He said: “Britain will rightly demand answers, and we will leave no stone unturned in that pursuit.”

His address, scheduled for 8.30am, is expected to outline the scope of the inquiry and attempt to reassure the public that lessons will be learned to prevent such failures in the future.