Mark White analysis: There's one big question Keir Starmer will have to answer over Southport
Mark White says there is no explanation for why the public 'waited …
GB News Home Affairs correspondent, Mark White gave his analysis as the Home Secretary called for a public inquiry into the case of Axel Rudakubana.
Axel Rudakubana today pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.
The 18-year-old, who was born in Cardiff, admitted to the attack on the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died following the attack at the Taylor Swift-themed class in The Hart Space on a small business park in the seaside town shortly before midday on July 29.
A number of questions have arisen surrounding Rudakubana's history and the actions of both the CPS and the police in dealing with the case.
In response Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has now called for an inquiry.
Mark White gave his analysis of the days events, he said: "This government, of course, so reluctant to launch a public inquiry into the child rape gangs, know that on this occasion, with regards to Axel Rudakubana and his history of violent behavior, there was no getting out of a public inquiry."
The government will now set forth the term of the independent inquiry - which will be set out over the next few days. The inquiry may be led by a judge and will potentially have the power to summon witnesses and ensure that they testify.
Mark White went on: "The reason we are talking now about a public inquiry now is because of the very alarming news that we've been able to reveal for the first time today, after the guilty pleas from Axel Rudakubana that he was first referred to the Prevent Counter-extremism programme in 2019, when he was just 13 years old, just a junior pupil at high school in Merseyside.
"He was referred to that programme because of his violent views and threats he made.
"He was seen carrying a knife into school and there was real concern that he was planning some kind of school massacre.
"He was referred again to Prevent twice at the age of 14, in 2021. On all of those occasions, Prevent decided for whatever reason, it will have to explain that to the public inquiry that it could not go forward with dealing with Axel RudiKubana - it seems, because he was not affiliated to any organized terror group and Prevent, as we know, was set up to deal specifically with those extremists who are being sucked in to these organized terrorist groups, either on the jihadist side or indeed the far right who pose a threat to the UK and further afield.
He added: "But it's also emerged late this afternoon and confirmed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that as well as to the Prevent counter-extremism programme, Axel Rudakubana was also referred to the police.
"He was referred to the courts, the youth justice system, as well as the NHS and social services. But not one of these agencies, it seems, picked up on the very genuine threat that this violent individual posed. And that's why Yvette Cooper says it is important now to start answering these questions."
But Mark White did highlight the one key question the government needs to answer, he explained: "The authorities will need to answer and answer as a matter of urgency. They haven't done it in any satisfactory way so far. And that relates to the additional charges that Rudakubana was facing a terror charge relating to the possession of a PDF document that linked to the al Qaeda terrorist group, and also the production of the biological toxin ricin, a quantity of which was found in his house.
"Both the PDF and the ricin were discovered just within a couple of days and confirmed to be the toxin and an al Qaeda document within just a few days.
Mark White says there's one key question Keir Starmer will have to answer over the Southport murder inquiry
GB News
"Yet we waited for three months before we finally got an acknowledgement from Merseyside Police and the CPS, the Crown Prosecution Service, that these charges were now facing Axel Rudakubana - that he was now facing these two additional charges.
"So the reasons for that delay will, I think, have to be explained as yet, there is no satisfactory explanation as to why we waited three long months."
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