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Today I will provide the Government's initial reaction to an inquiry
that exposes a series of tragic failures from which we must learn

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We do so in the shadow of the
events of the 29th of July 2024

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I will not name the perpetrator, nor dwell on the details
of the crimes that saw three beautiful young girls murdered

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the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults,
and lasting physical and psychological harm to many more

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I know I speak on behalf of the whole House when I
say my thoughts today are with all those affected

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In honour of them and the memory of three murdered girls,
Elsie Dotstankum, B.B. King and Alice de Silva Aguiar

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we must now act to prevent similar attacks. It was for that reason that my
predecessor appointed Sir Adrian Forford to lead a full statutory inquiry

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The inquiry's work has two parts. The first, which reported today, considered the
decisions made by the agencies and services that interacted with the perpetrator

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This included a range of institutions within the criminal justice
system, as well as education, health care and local government

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It also considered the actions of the perpetrator's parents. The findings of the inquiry are
unsparing. Sir Adrian has uncovered systematic failures across multiple public sector organisations

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The recording and sharing of information was poor. None of the agencies
involved had a full understanding of the risk that the perpetrator posed

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and many did not take steps to assess
the risk that he posed to others

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There was a failure by the agencies involved to take
responsibility, and nobody was clear as to who was in charge

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So the failure, because it belonged
to everyone, belonged to no one

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Where individuals missed opportunities to intervene, lessons must be learnt. But they did so
within organisations that repeatedly passed the risk to others and where systemic failings existed

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The perpetrator came into contact with the state on countless occasions. Lancashire police responded to five calls to his home address The police
were called when he was in possession of a knife in a public place He was referred on several occasions to the multi safeguarding hub He came into

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contact with Children's Social Care, the Early
Help Service and Children's Mental Health Services

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He was referred to prevent on three occasions. He
was convicted of a violent assault and referred

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to a youth offending team. All failed to
identify the risk that the perpetrator posed

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And so he fell between the gaps. The warning signs were missed, a growing
history of violence and a clear and continuing intent to commit harm

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In the Home Office, the focus falls on prevent and policing. Sir Adrian is clear that
police should have progressed the perpetrator to the multi-agency Channel programme

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Channel could have actively assessed and managed his risk. Instead,
he was not deemed suitable because he had no fixed ideology

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This ran counter to the guidance at the time, but the thresholds
were unclear and the guidance was applied inconsistently

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The perpetrator's multiple referrals were also considered individually,
when they should have been seen as a cumulative and compounding risk

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The perpetrator did not receive the correct interventions and his autism
diagnosis meant that professionals focused far too much on his vulnerability

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and far too little on the threat
that he might pose to others

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The horrific attack was itself evidence of
the ease with which it could be concluded

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There were no restrictions to stop the perpetrator
from watching the violent content that inspired him

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nor downloading instructions to make poison, nor viewing terrorist materials online. He was also able
to bypass the safeguards that should have stopped him from buying and receiving dangerous weapons

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These findings are devastating, but they are not surprising.
Findings like these have been heard in inquests and inquiries before

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This time, however, they must be a spur for change. The inquiry makes
67 recommendations. The government is reviewing these and will respond

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to those which relate to national government
this summer. I expect local agencies to do

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the same Since this awful crime the government has already acted That begins with prevent Since
the South Court attack the Home Office and Counterterrorism Policing have reviewed historical cases

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to ensure that similar instances were handled correctly, with
cases reassessed for any change in risk and managed accordingly

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This Government has reviewed the prevent thresholds and published updated guidance. We've introduced
a new prevent assessment framework with mandatory training for counter-terrorism case officers

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Oversight of repeat prevent referrals has been
strengthened, ensuring that cumulative risk is not missed

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and that senior sign-off is required before a case is closed. And to prevent independent
oversight of the whole system, we created an independent prevent commissioner

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and I would like to thank Lord Anderson for so
ably taking on that position on an interim basis

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His term ends today, and I am pleased to say that I have appointed
Tim Jakes as the new Prevent Commissioner who begins his role tomorrow

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This government has also begun to place greater
controls on a dangerously unregulated online world

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The Online Safety Act requires companies to
remove illegal content from their platforms

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The Act is intended to limit children from encountering
content that is legal but poses a risk of significant harm

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But this is just the beginning of what can and must be
done. The internet remains a dangerous place for children

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and we are clear that tech companies have a
moral responsibility to keep their users safe

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But have no doubt that when they fail to
do so, this government will intervene

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which is why the government is consulting on whether
to remove children's access to social media entirely

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I can also announce today that we will legislate to
prevent the spread of extreme violent content online

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We have also made it harder for people to purchase weapons. The Crime and
Policing Bill places new controls on the online sale and delivery of knives

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We have banned the manufacture, purchase and
possession of ninja swords and zombie-style machetes

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and earlier this year we published new guidance mandating that any
child caught with a knife must be referred to a youth offending teen

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In the aftermath of the attack the Government commissioned Jonathan Hall Casey the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation
to consider the legislative gaps exposed by this attack This identified an inconsistency that clearly needed addressing

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Unlike terrorist attacks, if you are planning
an attack without an underlying ideology

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there is no crime on the statute book. Jonathan
Hall therefore recommended the creation of a new

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offence, and this legislation will also be brought
forward as soon as parliamentary time allows

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But the inquiry also identifies a wider issue. There are rising
numbers of young men who are fascinated by extreme violence

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Boys whose minds are warped by time spent in
isolation online. This is a risk to us all

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Where someone is vulnerable to terrorism, they can
and should be managed through the PREVENT programme

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However, where they are not, there
is no clear approach to that risk

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Today we publish the terms of reference for
the second part of the Southport Inquiry

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and it will face directly into this challenge. Sir Adrian will
provide recommendations on the adequacy of existing arrangements

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across all arms of the State for identifying and
managing the risk posed by violence-fixated individuals

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He will explore what specific interventions
are required to reduce the risk to the public

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He will also review the influence
of the internet and social media

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and the ease with which weapons can be procured.
Sir Adrian begins this work immediately

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and will present his final recommendations next
spring. Madam Deputy Speaker, in the summer of 2024

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an act of unspeakable evil took place in Southport.
Nothing will ever heal the pain of those who survive

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including the families who suffered unimaginable
loss. Responsibility rests with the perpetrator

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There was also responsibility within the family, The perpetrator's
parents knew the risk he posed but did not cooperate with the authorities

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And there is also responsibility on the state and on all of us
here to learn the lessons from failures wherever they occurred

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And the lesson is that the failures happened everywhere. We must ensure we do not find ourselves here again
grieving deaths which should never have happened had the state and those who worked within it acted differently

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Madam Deputy Speaker, that is our task
and I commend this statement to the House