Home Secretary admits failures led to Southport attack

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Home Secretary admits failures led to Southport attackImage source, Family photosImage caption, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were killed in the 29 July 2024 attackByLauren HirstNorth WestPublished2 July 2026, 11:59 BSTUpdated 3 minutes agoThe Home Secretary has vowed to "right the wrongs" identified by an inquiry into the "senseless killing" of three young girls and violent attacks on others in Southport. Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in June 2024. Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford said there had been a "fundamental failure" by any organisation to take ownership of the risk Rudakubana posed in the years leading up to his attack.

Shabana Mahmood said the government accepted these findings, adding: "We will do whatever is needed to protect the public. ""The Southport Inquiry identified fundamental failings, across many of our public services in the years leading up to July 2024," she said. "These devastating failures led to the senseless killing of three young girls and violent attacks on others.

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"My thoughts today are first and foremost with the families and friends of Bebe, Elsie and Alice and all the victims of that awful day. "We owe it to them to right these wrongs. "She added that her department would now carry out the necessary work "with the urgency it deserves".

Image source, PA MediaImage caption, The attack happened at the Hart Space studio in SouthportThe Southport Inquiry, commissioned by then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, was set up to examine the overall timeline of the killer's history and interactions with various public bodies. The first phase of that inquiry finished in November following nine weeks of evidence. Sir Adrian found that "catastrophic" failures by the parents of the killer and various agencies meant clear chances to prevent the attack were missed.

In a 760-page final report published in April, he called for the end of what he described as a "culture" of agencies passing responsibility between each other or downgrading their own involvement in cases like this. He described it as the "single most important conclusion" of his report, adding: "This failure lies at the heart of why was able to mount the attack, despite so many warning signs of his capacity for fatal violence. "Sir Adrian said the attack "could and should have been prevented", if public bodies had taken steps to stop the killer, who was 17 when he launched the attack.

Image source, PA MediaImage caption, The attack in the summer of 2024 sent shockwaves across the world The report also focused on a serious incident in March 2022, when the teenager was reported missing and found by Lancashire Police officers on a bus with a knife. Sir Adrian described that incident as the "most marked example of the consequences of poor information sharing".

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.