Statement on the Conviction of Axel Rudakubana

Our thoughts are with the families of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar – and the families of everyone affected – who will be saved the ordeal of a protracted trial.

The news that the vile and sick Southport killer will be convicted is welcome.

It is also a moment of trauma for the nation and there are grave questions to answer as to how the state failed in its ultimate duty to protect these young girls.

Britain will rightly demand answers. And we will leave no stone unturned in that pursuit.

At the centre of this horrific event, there is still a family and community grief that is raw; a pain that not even justice can ever truly heal.

Although no words today can ever truly convey the depths of that pain, I want the families to know that our thoughts are with them and everyone in Southport affected by this barbaric crime. The whole nation grieves with them.