Violent psychopaths could 'revel' in being called terrorists, Keir Starmer warned

Violent “psychopaths” fantasising about committing atrocities could revel in being labelled terrorists, Sir Keir Starmer has been warned.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside, in July.

And Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday announced a review of the law to address a "new and dangerous threat [involving] acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedrooms. Fixated on extreme violence seemingly for its own sake."

Experts have warned expanding the definition of terrorism would be a “mistake”.

Former head of counter-terrorism policing Neil Basu said: “We’d already seen a growth of what we were seeing as people with no ideologies, so they’re not terrorists, they’re violent individuals.

“And we’ve always had violent people doing violent things, but they’re using any ideology as an excuse for their violent actions. And we were seeing an increase in that number and they were getting younger – and it would’ve been easier to charge them under counter-terrorism [laws].

“When we asked for it then, I don’t think we were thinking about the consequences of what that might be.”

When asked to explain why he changed his mind on the issue, he said: “One of the main things is, these are violent people often with violent or sociopathic or psychopathic thoughts – if we are going to include a definition of terrorism to include them, some of these people are going to revel in that.

“It took us a long time to ask the media not to use the expression lone wolves, because lone-actor terrorists/self-initiating terrorists, as we tried to change the language, really love that – it glorifies them, and that’s what a lot of them are looking for.”

Dr Alan Mendoza, Chief Executive of the Henry Jackson Society, said: “There are always lone-wolf terrorists.

“For something to be terrorism, it essentially has to have a political intent behind it.

“A message has to come out.

“We don’t know what message he was trying to convey here. To call it terrorism, and say that’s the answer, we must highlight it as terrorism, how would this have stopped anything from happening?

“He was referred to the terrorism programme and they said he didn’t meet the criteria. Arguably he wouldn’t have met the criteria had we called it terrorism either.

“What was clearly wrong was that there was evidence of a violent person out there, who had exhibited tendencies to cause violence and be happy to do it, and he wasn’t picked up by anyone.

“What is going on in these programmes, what is the bar for you to be arrested for something?”

Sir Keir Starmer said that "fundamental change" was needed in how the public are protected in the wake of the Southport attack last summer.

Speaking at the beginning of Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said: "The senseless, barbaric murder of three young girls in Southport was devastating.

"A measure of justice has been done, but for the victims, the injured and the affected we must see a fundamental change in how Britain protects its citizens and its children.

"As part of the public inquiry, we will not let any institution deflect from their failings."

Shadow Security Minister Alicia Kearns said: "If Keir Starmer really believes depraved individuals thirsty for violence desperately seeking a cause to justify their fantasies is a new phenomenon, he is worryingly mistaken.

“Self-radicalisation to vindicate a thirst for violence is not new, nor is the internet providing a breeding ground for violence-seeking loners. Everyone else knows this; the security services have been clear about these threats. I'm concerned Labour doesn't appear to."

Barrister David Anderson, an independent of the House of Lords, has been appointed to lead a review of Prevent, with Ministers pledging it will ask questions “unburdened by cultural or institutional sensitivities and driven only by the pursuit of justice”.

However Conservatives are calling for it to be upgraded to a statutory inquiry, which would have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence, and say it must look at the government, police and prosecution service response to the murders.

Rudakubana further pleaded guilty to charges of producing chemical poison ricin and possessing an Al Qaeda training manual, while it has emerged that he was referred to the government’s counter-terrorism Prevent programme three times between 2019 and 2021.

However police investigating the killings said they were not treating them as terror-related and the Prime Minister is now battling claims that the Government or police were involved in a “cover up”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “deeply disturbed” by the number of cases “involving teenagers drawn into extremism, serious violence and terrorism”.

She revealed: “There has been a three-fold increase in under-18s investigated for involvement in terrorism in just three years.

“162 people were referred to Prevent last year for concerns relating to school massacres.”

And the Home Secretary said she would tackle online knife sales after Rudakubana was “easily able” to buy a knife on Amazon.

She said: “That’s a total disgrace and it must change”.

Mr Philp said: “The inquiry will find out I hope whether mistakes were made and whether the law needs to change.”