NIGEL Farage has stuck by claims Downing Street was part of a ‘cover-up’ over the Southport killings.
The Reform UK leader said that Sir Keir Starmer was “hiding” behind the law instead of delivering the full facts including the murderer being referred to an anti-extremist programme.
ReutersSir Keir Starmer told a press conference he didn’t want to collapse any future trial[/caption]
His outburst came after Sir Keir Starmer launched a ferocious defence of what he knew insisting it wasn’t made public as it could collapse any future trial.
Mr Farage, who has been in Washington DC for Donald Trump’s inauguration, said: “The Prime Minister is once again hiding behind the contempt of court argument.
“This is simply untrue, the country needed to know the truth about this murderer and that he was known to the authorities.
“Even MPs were banned from asking questions about this man’s background. Cover up Keir convinces no one.”
The Prime Minister had earlier been pressed at a Number 10 press conference over whether he knew killer Axel Rudakubana had been referred to the Prevent anti-extremism programme three times.
He was also pushed on whether details had been held back from the public in the aftermath when widespread riots spread across the country.
Unrest broke out across the country last summer following the stabbings in Southport fuelled by misinformation being spread on the social media site X, owned by Tesla billionaire Elon Musk who is a close ally of US President Donald Trump.
But the PM said: “Let me be clear, responsibility for the disorder and the violence lies with those that perpetrated it. We need to be really clear about that.
“Let me address the facts as you put them to me. There has been a failure here and I don’t intend to let any institution of the state deflect from their failures and I acknowledge that readily here.
“Yes, I knew the details as they were emerging. That is the usual practice in a case such as this. But you know and I know that it would not have been right to disclose those details.
He added: “The only losers if the details had been disclosed would be the victims and the families because it ran the risk the trial would collapse. I am never going to do that.”
Mr Farage intervened in the row less than 24 hours after he said “the truth” had emerged following the teen killer’s guilty plea.
He added: “The cover-up has been a disgrace. I was right all along.”
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