Starmer pays second visit to Southport since knife attack

The Prime Minister held private meetings with community leaders and staff at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Sir Keir Starmer had already visited Southport to lay flowers at the scene of Monday’s attack, but returned to the town on Friday. (James Speakman/PA) (PA Wire)

Sir Keir Starmer returned to Southport on Friday to meet community leaders and thank those involved in responding to Monday’s knife attack that left three young girls dead.

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.

But on Friday he met privately with community leaders, alongside metro mayor Steve Rotheram and Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, before visiting 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, according to reports in the Liverpool Echo.

Since Monday, Southport has been rocked by violent unrest inspired by false claims about the attacker’s identity 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.”