Prime Minister announces support package for Southport

Sir Keir Starmer has announced a “support package” for Southport after returning to the town for the second time since Monday’s knife attack.

After holding private meetings with community leaders and emergency services staff, the Prime Minister said it had been “truly inspiring to hear of all the ways in which people have come together in the face of such horrors to demonstrate true bravery, resilience and solidarity”.

He added: “I cannot begin to imagine the pain that people are going through right now, but I am determined to make sure that Southport and its leaders have all the support they need to preserve and nurture this strength of community spirit – not just in the immediate aftermath, but also in the years to come.”

The measures announced on Friday included mental health support for those affected, and a programme of events and activities to help “build community cohesion and bolster local resilience” in the longer term.

It was the Prime Minister’s second visit to the town this week, having travelled there on Tuesday to lay flowers at the scene of the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday which left three girls dead.

After meeting community leaders alongside metro mayor Steve Rotheram and Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, Sir Keir visited Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool to thank staff for their work responding to the attack.

Many of those injured in Monday’s attack were treated at the hospital, and Sir Keir praised staff’s hard work and professionalism.

Mr Rotheram thanked the Prime Minister for giving a “personal commitment” to support Southport.

He said: “The horrendous events of Monday have caused untold shock and horror across the whole country but has left Southport struggling to come to terms with such a tragedy on its doorstep.

“Once the glare of the national media has moved on, it leaves behind a community that needs to come together and rebuild.

“This is a tight-knit area and we have already seen that inclusivity and community on full display in the town’s response to the mindless violence on Tuesday night.

“It will not happen overnight, but we are determined to restore trust, build on that remarkable resilience – and, above all, ensure that Bebe, Elsie and Alice, and the victims and those traumatised, are never forgotten.”

Since Monday, Southport has been rocked by violent unrest inspired by false claims about the suspect’s identity that spread on social media.

That unrest has spread to other parts of the country, with police on Friday bracing for more outbreaks in the coming days.

Mr Rotheram has expressed concern that there could be further violence in the Liverpool City Region, but added: “We know exactly what we’d need to do to ensure that these things are nipped in the bud.”

On Thursday, the Prime Minister condemned “far-right hatred” in the wake of the Southport stabbings as he announced a new “national” response to the violent disorder.

Sir Keir said: “The far right are showing who they are – we have to show who we are in response to that.”