Nigel Farage blasts ‘cover-up Keir’ for ‘once again hiding the truth’ as PM admits shock ‘failings’
NIGEL Farage has stuck by claims Downing Street was part of a ‘cover-up’ over the Southport killings.
The Reform UK leader said that Sir Keir Starmer was “hiding” behind the law instead of delivering the full facts including the murderer being referred to an anti-extremist programme.
His outburst came after Sir Keir Starmer launched a ferocious defence of what he knew insisting it wasn’t made public as it could collapse any future trial.
Mr Farage, who has been in Washington DC for Donald Trump’s inauguration, said: “The Prime Minister is once again hiding behind the contempt of court argument.
“This is simply untrue, the country needed to know the truth about this murderer and that he was known to the authorities.
2Even MPs were banned from asking questions about this man’s background. Cover up Keir convinces no one.”
The Prime Minister had earlier been pressed at a Number 10 press conference over whether he knew killer Axel Rudakubana had been referred to the Prevent anti-extremism programme three times.
He was also pushed on whether details had been held back from the public in the aftermath when widespread riots spread across the country.
Unrest broke out across the country last summer following the stabbings in Southport fuelled by misinformation being spread on the social media site X, owned by Tesla billionaire Elon Musk who is a close ally of US President Donald Trump.
But the PM said: “Let me be clear, responsibility for the disorder and the violence lies with those that perpetrated it.
“We need to be really clear about that. Let me address the facts as you put them to me.
“There has been a failure here and I don’t intend to let any institution of the state deflect from their failures and I acknowledge that readily here.
“Yes, I knew the details as they were emerging. That is the usual practice in a case such as this.
“But you know and I know that it would not have been right to disclose those details.”
He added: “The only losers if the details had been disclosed would be the victims and the families because it ran the risk the trial would collapse. I am never going to do that.”
Mr Farage intervened in the row less than 24 hours after he said “the truth” had emerged following the teen killer’s guilty plea.
ANALYSIS
By Jack Elsom, Chief Political Correspondent
THE British people are mortified that – time and again – the perpetrators of horrific atrocities in this country have long been known to the authorities.
Sir Keir Starmer is acutely aware of this tidal wave of public rage, and today told the nation he felt the same way.
He did not try to defend the indefensible, instead saying that he too was “angry” at how the state had repeatedly failed to stop the Southport beast.
The father-of-two – who visited Southport in the aftermath of the killings – was visibly moved as he spoke of the families’ “unimaginable grief”.
But the PM is also not blind to another growing feeling – that many are blaming him for withholding crucial information about the murderer.
To put it bluntly, that he conspired in a cover up.
The lawyer that he is, he came to today’s early morning press conference armed with several arguments to blunt the claims being made by Nigel Farage and supporters.
“If this trial had collapsed because I or anyone else had revealed crucial details while police were investigating, while the case was being built, while we were awaiting a verdict, then the vile individual who committed these crimes would have walked away a free man.”
It is a fair point that many details relating to a criminal case cannot be made public before a trial, and a rule that journalists observe.
But the crux of the complaint against Starmer is that – after being told the murders were not terror-related – the public learned Axel Rudakubana possessed an Al Qaeda trailing manual and produced the toxin ricin.
The police later released this information BEFORE the trial was due but long AFTER the tragedy unfolded.
Trying to contain public bewilderment, Starmer did this time attempt to deflect, telling the Sun: “It was not a personal decision to withhold information.”
And he has now launched a statutory public inquiry to get answers, “leaving no stone unturned”.
One thing is for sure – that investigation will see more than just the PM facing questions over this horror.
He added: “The cover-up has been a disgrace. I was right all along.”
As his trial was due to begin on Monday (January 20), Radakubana pleaded guilty to all charges: three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and two terror-related charges.
One of these counts was in relation to the production of a biological toxin, ricin.
The terrorism offence relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual.
A sentencing date has been set for January 23, and Justice Goose said that a life order was inevitable.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Rudakubana had been referred to the Prevent scheme on three occasions due to his interest in violence.
Between October 2019 and May 2022, Lancashire Police responded to five calls at his home about his erratic behaviour and he was found to be carrying a knife on ten occassions.
Following the calls he had contact with children’s social care, the early help service, child and adolescent mental health services.
Prevent was given evidence that Rudakubana was interested in school shootings, the London Bridge attack, the IRA, MI5 and the Middle East.
However, while his behaviour was considered a concern, he was not accepted onto the programme due to a lack of evidence of terrorist ideology.
Following his arrest, an emergency review concluded Prevent had followed correct procedure.
Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and has an older brother.
He moved to Banks, a village in Lancashire located a few miles from Southport, in 2013.
As a child, Rudakubana displayed vicious behaviour in school as his obsession with violence grew.
The teen, who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, left Range High School in Formby in around 2019 over claims he brought a blade into class and made threats to attack another pupil.
Police were called in and the Year 9 student – then aged just 13 – was sent home and later expelled.
But he returned to his former school armed with a hockey stick and a “hit list” of students he wanted to attack.
Chillingly, just one week before the attack, Rudakubana is feared to have plotted a similar attack on his old school.
He booked a taxi – the same way he travelled to the Taylor Swift-themed dance class – under a fake name from his home to take him to the Range High School.
It is believed he’d been planning to target pupils on the last day of term as they broke up for the summer holidays.
But he was stopped from making his journey when his father ran out and intervened.
There is no suggestion his dad knew what he was planning.
Rudakubana was then sent to a specialist school but teachers became concerned over his behaviour.
His first referral to Prevent in 2019 came after he used computers at his own school to search for material on a school massacre.
Two years later, he was referred again after viewing material on previous terror attacks – including those in London in 2017.
Although there were no concerns over a particular ideology or religious hatred, his obsession with violence had caused fears.
What did Rudakubana admit and what happens now?
THE teen was due to stand trial today where details about the attack would have been heard for the first time in court.
As he pleaded guilty, that information will now be revealed on Thursday instead at his sentencing hearing.
As with most court cases, if a defendant admits the charges, the sentencing does not usually take place on the same day.
This allows prosecutors and defence lawyers to submit relevant reports that will be taken into consideration by the judge.
Once the hearing is underway, the prosecution will open the case – meaning all the information not previously heard will be read out.
Mr Justice Goose warned Rudakubana it is “inevitable” he will receive a life sentence.
These are the 16 counts Rudakubana pleaded guilty to:
- Three counts of murder
- Eight counts of attempted murder in relation to eight other children
- Two counts of attempted murder against Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes
- One count of possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely a kitchen knife with a curved blade
- One count of production of a biological toxin, namely ricin
- One of possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual”.