Yvette Cooper In Angry Commons Clash With Chris Philp Amid Southport ‘Cover Up’ Row

Home secretary Yvette Cooper clashed with Chris Philp in the Commons amid the ongoing row over the government’s decision to initially withhold information about Southport killer Axel Rudukabana.

The pair went head-to-head as Cooper revealed more details about the public inquiry which will be held into the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town last summer.

Rudukabana, 18, yesterday pleaded guilty to murdering nine-year-old Alice da Silva, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year.

He also admitted the production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.

It has since emerged that the killer was referred three times to the government’s Prevent anti-terrorism programme, but remained at large.

Keir Starmer this morning denied there had been a cover up over the government’s decision not to reveal information about Rudukabana’s background in the immediate aftermath of the murders.

Riots broke out across England following the incident as misinformation spread online about the killer.

Philp, the shadow home secretary, asked Cooper: “Does the home secretary accept there could and should have been more openness and transparency without prejudicing the trial, and that disclosing more of that truth would have helped combat the damaging misinformation that circulated and which arguably fuelled the riots?”

Cooper replied: “It is not for the government to ignore the law or the advice that we are given when justice for families is at stake.”

She pointed out that the last Tory government also refused to reveal details about murderers who had been referred to the Prevent programme, including the killer for Conservative MP David Amess in 2022.

The home secretary added: “We have been keen to publish information about the Prevent referrals from the start, but throughout the advice to us has been clear. And if we had ignored the advice that we were given about the information that the police and the CPS were working with, and if as a result a killer had walked free, no one would ever have forgiven the government or anyone else.

“The most important thing is to get justice and, when justice is secured, the questions are answered about what went wrong and why three young girls’ lives were lost. That is the question he should be focusing on right now.”