Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has come under-fire after previously dismissing claims that Axel Rudakubana’s Southport attack was terror-related.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage yesterday demanded an apology from Rayner after she also accused him of spreading “fake news” about the perpetrator.
Rudakubana, now 18, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, aged nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
He was referred to the Government’s anti-extremism scheme Prevent three times before his attack in late July, with police later finding an al-Qaeda training manual alongside ricin.
Following Rudakubana’s guilty plea, Sir Keir Starmer revealed that police and politicians knew about the terrorist connection shortly after the killings.
Speaking about Farage at the time of the attack, Rayner said: “He must understand that you have a level of responsibility, you’re a community leader, you’re elected to represent your constituency and therefore you have a level of responsibility with that, and it’s not to stoke up what conspiracy theories or what you think might have happened, or lean into what you think.
“There’s a responsibility to say the police are doing a difficult job, local authorities, all of the services that are on the ground.
“We want to establish facts as soon as possible and we have a responsibility to hold the community together and say, let’s get the facts and then let’s look at what the actual solutions are and what we can do about the horrific situation that we find ourselves in, not to stir up these fake news online.”
Responding to Rayner’s previous comments last night, the Reform UK leader told The Telegraph: “Many public figures, including Angela Rayner, made derogatory and inciteful remarks about my comments in the vacuum that followed the terrorist attack in Southport.
“I was right all along. This man was known to the authorities and the truth was withheld. As the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation Jonathan Hall KC confirmed, the public should have been told the truth without damaging the trial. This is an appalling cover-up and I deserve apologies.”
Home Office Minister Jess Phillips separately described Farage as a “grifter”, while Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson argued the Reform UK leader was the “voice of the EDL”.
However, non-Labour politicians also accused Farage of stoking tensions during the subsequent summer riots, including ex-Security Minister Tom Tugendhat.
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Rayner braces for Cabinet clash after vowing to make economic growth ‘trump’ Net Zero plans
Rachel Reeves
PA
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been preparing for a Cabinet clash over potential backing for an expansion at Heathrow Airport.
Speaking at Heathrow Airport, Reeves said: “There was always somebody that said, ‘Oh, yes, of course, we want to grow the economy but we don’t like that investment.’
“Or, ‘We don’t like that wind farm, we don’t like those pylons, we don’t like that airport’.”
She added: “When we say growth is the number one mission of this Government we mean it — and that means it trumps other things.”
Sir Keir Starmer was yesterday unable to set out his position on a potential Heathrow expansion, despite previously opposing the move.
However, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband, Environment Secretary Steve Reed and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have all voiced opposition to an expansion.
