The prime minister is visiting Southport following yesterday’s attack at a dance class, which left three children dead.
They have been named today as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Sir Keir Starmer said the families would be “going through raw pain and grief most of us can’t imagine”.
Nobody ‘untouched’ by attack
As well as paying tribute to victims (see previous post), he said he was in the Merseyside town to meet emergency services who responded.
Sir Keir said he wanted “to say a personal thank you to them and to shake their hand – and to say that as prime minister, on behalf of the country, we are grateful for what they did”.
“It’s not what any of them came to work for. But of course, they’re professionals, and they deal with it,” he said.
“I think about the families, the friends, the loved ones, those directly impacted and of course, the wider community here.
“But I think anybody in the country is not untouched by what happened.”
Teenager held on suspicion of murder
Sir Keir reiterated his commitment to “get to grips” with knife crime, but said “today is the time to focus entirely on the families”.
A 17-year-old boy remains in custody on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Eight other children were injured, five of whom are in a critical condition, as are two adults who were stabbed.
