Keir Starmer heckled while paying tribute to Southport stabbing victims

30 July 2024, 16:25 | Updated: 30 July 2024, 16:34

Keir Starmer visited Southport to pay tribute to the victims of the stabbing attack on Tuesday afternoon.

The Prime Minister went to the seaside town on Tuesday to pay his respects to the families of the three girls who have died, and the others who have been hurt.

He also came to thank the emergency services workers who responded to the attack.

But he was heckled by some of the onlookers as he laid his wreath on Hart Street, near where the attack took place.

As the PM stood momentarily in silence after putting down the tribute, more than one person shouted: "How many more Starmer? When are you going to do something?"

He did not respond, and walked off, ushered back to his waiting car by his security detail.

Sir Keir said separately that the attack in Southport "touches a nerve" with the whole country.

He said: "It's awful to contemplate what happened. To hear for myself the experiences of the first responders, what they had to deal with, it's really hard to take in for anybody.

"It's not what any of them came to work for but, of course, they're professionals and they deal with it."

Asked about his "mission" to crack down on knife crime, Sir Keir said: "I am very worried about high levels of knife crime and I'm absolutely determined that my Government will get to grips with it.

"But today is not the time for politics. Today is the time to focus entirely on the families who are going through such pain and grief, and on the wider community, and, of course, a time to say thank you to those that responded yesterday, in the most awful of circumstances."

King leads tributes after ‘truly appalling’ Southport knife attack

Paying tribute to emergency services workers, Sir Keir said: "I know you would go and face any situation that was put in front of you, you do it every day.

"But there's no pretending that what you dealt with yesterday was ordinary or just a usual response. It was really, really difficult. I just wanted to say a personal thank you to each of you, that's why I wanted to shake each of your hands, for what you did yesterday.

"I'm incredibly proud of what you did.

"I'm amazed, but not surprised, that you're in today, carrying on with your duties.

"I really want you to focus on the fact that there are children today alive because of what you did yesterday. That is incredible. It's what you do every day but it's the most difficult of circumstances.

"I don't want you to think for a minute the rest of the country has not seen that."

"They, of course, say that they will respond, they're professionals, to anything, but there's no pretending that what they had to respond to yesterday was ordinary.

"It was very, very difficult. They were absolutely professional. And it was important for me to come and say simple words - thank you."

The three girls killed in the Southport stabbing attack were named on Tuesday as Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

Bebe, 6, Elsie, 7, and Alice, 9, were stabbed at a Taylor Swift dance club in the seaside town on Monday.

Eight other children were hurt, five of whom are in a critical condition in hospital. Two other adults are in a critical condition.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested and continues to be questioned. His motive has not yet been established.