Ongoing
· Chair: Sir Adrian Fulford
· Established April 2025
· Commissioned by Home Office
Inquiry into the 29 July 2024 Southport knife attack by Axel Rudakubana at a children's Taylor Swift dance class, which killed three girls: Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar, and injured ten others.
More about this inquiry
Inquiry into the 29 July 2024 Southport knife attack by Axel Rudakubana at a children's Taylor Swift dance class, which killed three girls: Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar, and injured ten others. Phase 1 report published 13 April 2026, making 67 recommendations across policing, social care, education, healthcare, Prevent, weapons/online harms. Phase 2 will examine children drawn into extreme violence.
No statement from Department for Education found in the sources searched 10
No statement from Southport Inquiry Phase 2 found in the sources searched 10
No statement from Lancashire Constabulary found in the sources searched 7
No statement from Lancashire County Council found in the sources searched 7
No statement from Home Office found in the sources searched 6
Lancashire County Council says in progress 5
No statement from Counter Terrorism Policing found in the sources searched 4
No statement from Department of Health and Social Care found in the sources searched 3
No statement from All police forces found in the sources searched 2
No statement from Department for Transport found in the sources searched 2
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust says in progress 1
No statement from Amazon found in the sources searched 1
No statement from Department for Science, Innovation and Technology found in the sources searched 1
No statement from Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust found in the sources searched 1
Home Office says in progress 1
No statement from Law Commission found in the sources searched 1
No statement from Merseyside Police found in the sources searched 1
No statement from Metropolitan Police Service found in the sources searched 1
No statement from NHS England found in the sources searched 1
No statement from North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust found in the sources searched 1
No statement from Youth Justice Board for England and Wales found in the sources searched 1
Blanket response: The government's response to Phase 1 (CP 1623, 2 July 2026) agreed with all 67 recommendations in one sentence, and names only 39 of them individually. Where a recommendation is not named, the response shown is the passage the response gives for the group it belongs to (the recommendations for organisations outside central government, or the recommendations to policing bodies), which is not a response to that recommendation alone; the response does not list the members of any group. The 10 recommendations for Phase 2 of the Inquiry to consider show no response: the response introduces them (paragraph 20) but answers none of them. The government accepts the recommendations that are for central government to deliver. Where a recommendation is for an organisation outside central government, the government's agreement is not that organisation's acceptance.
Record checked against the sources 2 July 2026. Latest activity 15 September 2026.
Phase 2 should consider systems to detect and report concerning online behaviour and suspicious combinations of purchases. This should include consideration of:
1. Concerning patterns of online browsing and purchasing (e.g. change of names and addresses, use of Virtual Private Networks).
2. Concerning purchases of dangerous but legal items (e.g. sledgehammers, bow and arrows and smoke grenades).
3. Concerning combinations of purchases (e.g. castor beans, alcohol and laboratory equipment).
Since then (summary written by this site)
Phase 2 was asked to evaluate systems detecting suspicious online activity and purchases. In July 2026, HM Government stated in a response presented to Parliament by the Home Secretary that the Chair will consider suspicious purchase combinations in Phase 2, noting that acquiring weapons and poisons involves stakeholders who could not be consulted during Phase 1 (Home Office response, Jul 2026). It added that further measures on crossbows and knives will also be considered, and that the Home Office will work with the Inquiry to review current legislation (Home Office response, Jul 2026). The record holds nothing dated later than the response of July 2026 (Home Office response, Jul 2026).
Addressed to Southport Inquiry Phase 2 · Full record
Phase 2 should consider, in parallel with the government’s consultation where possible, a prohibition on the sale of crossbows, a licensing scheme similar to firearms, tighter controls on purchasing such as restricting sales to age‑verified in‑store transactions, and Trading Standards measures to prevent military‑style marketing.
Since then (summary written by this site)
The recommendation asks Phase 2 to consider crossbow prohibition, licensing, and tighter purchasing controls. In July 2026, HM Government stated that the Chair will consider further measures on crossbows and knives in Phase 2, and that the Home Office will work with the Southport Inquiry to identify further legislative issues (Home Office response, Jul 2026). It did not mention prohibition, a licensing scheme similar to firearms, age-verified in-store transactions, or Trading Standards measures in its July 2026 response (Home Office response, Jul 2026). The record holds nothing dated later than the response of July 2026 (Home Office response, Jul 2026).
Addressed to Southport Inquiry Phase 2 · Full record
Phase 2 should consider further measures relating to knives/bladed items sales, including:
1. Restrictions on sharp‑tipped knives.
2. Prohibiting some online sales (such as machetes).
3. Strengthening online age‑verification and age verified delivery standards.
4. Mandatory reporting and information‑sharing about suspicious behaviour.
5. The risks surrounding importation of bladed items.
6. The risks surrounding multiple sub-contractors in a supply chain delivering bladed articles.
Since then (summary written by this site)
The recommendation asks Phase 2 to consider further measures on bladed item sales. In July 2026, HM Government stated that the Chair will consider in Phase 2 how to address suspicious combinations of purchases alongside further measures on crossbows and knives, adding that the Home Office will work with the Inquiry to examine issues within current legislation (Home Office response, Jul 2026). The response did not mention other measures named in the recommendation, including restrictions on sharp-tipped knives, online sales prohibitions, delivery standards, importation risks, or supply-chain subcontractors (Home Office response, Jul 2026). The record holds nothing dated later than the response of July 2026 (Home Office response, Jul 2026).
Addressed to Southport Inquiry Phase 2 · Full record
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of CommonsDan Jarvis · Labour
Statement: The Government remains committed to protecting the public from the threats posed by dangerous substances that could be misused to cause serious harm. As part of this responsibility, the Government keeps the framework that governs explosives precursors and poisons under regular review to ensure that …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of LordsLord Hanson of Flint · Labour
Statement: My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Security (Dan Jarvis) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:The Government remains committed to protecting the public from the threats posed by dangerous substances that could be misused to cause serious harm. As part of …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of CommonsShabana Mahmood · Labour
Statement: On 13 April 2026, the Chair of the Southport Inquiry, Sir Adrian Fulford published his Phase 1 report. Sir Adrian sets out five fundamental failings, and makes 67 recommendations for central government, and a range of national and local partners to consider. He concludes that …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of LordsLord Hanson of Flint · Labour
Statement: My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Shabana Mahmood) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:On 13 April 2026, the Chair of the Southport Inquiry, Sir Adrian Fulford published his Phase 1 report. Sir Adrian sets out five fundamental …
Written QuestionHouse of LordsLord Kamall · Conservative
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the internal investigation by Liverpool Women’s University Hospital into inappropriate access to the medical records of victims in Southport examined (1) breaches using hospital systems to access the patients' GP records, (2) access to Summary Care Records, or (3) …
Answered by Department of Health and Social Care: The unauthorised access of patients’ confidential information following the tragic events in Southport and Nottingham was unacceptable. It is essential that patients’ confidential information is only accessed appropriately, lawfully, and in line with their reasonable expectations. As the investigation carried out by the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was internal, the Department does not have the detailed information requested. …
Written QuestionHouse of LordsLord Kamall · Conservative
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the internal investigation by Liverpool Women’s University Hospital into inappropriate access to the medical records of victims in Southport considered the patient or the hospital itself to have been a victim of the unlawful misuse of data; and whether …
Answered by Department of Health and Social Care: The unauthorised access of patients’ confidential information following the tragic events in Southport and Nottingham was unacceptable. It is essential that patients’ confidential information is only accessed appropriately, lawfully, and in line with their reasonable expectations. As the investigation carried out by the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was internal, the Department does not have the detailed information requested. …
Written QuestionHouse of LordsLord Kamall · Conservative
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the internal investigation by Liverpool Women’s University Hospital into inappropriate access to the medical records of victims in Southport included an assessment of whether the records of victims who had died in hospital had been accessed.
Answered by Department of Health and Social Care: The unauthorised access of patients’ confidential information following the tragic events in Southport and Nottingham was unacceptable. It is essential that patients’ confidential information is only accessed appropriately, lawfully, and in line with their reasonable expectations. As the investigation carried out by the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was internal, the Department does not have the detailed information requested. …
Written QuestionHouse of LordsLord Kamall · Conservative
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there was any inappropriate access to records of people receiving NHS care as a result of events currently subject to a public inquiry other than the internal investigation by Liverpool Women’s University Hospital …
Answered by Department of Health and Social Care: The unauthorised access of patients’ confidential information following the tragic events in Southport and Nottingham was unacceptable. It is essential that patients’ confidential information is only accessed appropriately, lawfully, and in line with their reasonable expectations. As the investigation carried out by the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was internal, the Department does not have the detailed information requested. …