GB News political editor Christopher Hope said Sir Keir Starmer “didn’t answer the question” after being quizzed on labelling protesters after the Southport stabbings “far-right.”
Earlier today, Christopher Hope challenged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over his characterisation of protesters following last summer’s Southport murders.
Hope asked: “Do you now regret blaming the far-right for all those protests last summer?
“Was it a far-right issue? Or were some people entitled to be concerned and upset, not the rioters of course?”
Christopher Hope said that Starmer did not answer the question
GB News
The challenge follows Starmer’s previous comments in which he had labelled participants in the disorder as “far right” while denouncing what he called a “gang of thugs” during the riots.
Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty yesterday to the murders of three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport last summer.
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In response to Hope’s question, Starmer focused on the violence that occurred during the protests and its impact on police officers.
“Responsibility for the violence lies with them that perpetrated it,” Starmer said, recounting his visit to Southport following the murders.
Christopher told GB News: “The PM, they’re not answering a question about the issue of far right. Focusing instead on the rioting, but not really dealing with the people who were peacefully protesting.
“Last August, I think at the end of his press conference, he talked about how you can be censored in what you see in the cinema, but not online.
Keir Starmer addressed the nation this morning
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“So I think there might be changes to online policing of terror issues. You may also be looking ahead into what can be reported as charges emerge, as details emerge.
“In these cases, you can’t wait for months and months and months now in this social media environment, and also those failings by the Prevent Scheme and others, all those other authorities who knew about this individual.
“Why are we not acting on these sooner? Three warnings under under a Tory Home Secretary, I should say, were not acted on. And now three girls are dead.”
The murders occurred on July 29 last year, sending shockwaves through the community. It has since emerged that Rudakubana, from Lancashire, had been referred to Prevent, the Government’s anti-terrorism scheme, on three separate occasions.
Keir Starmer has defended his actions explaining his knowledge of case details.
He revealed he was “kept up to date with the facts as they were emerging”, including information about ricin and terrorist documents found in Rudakubana’s home.
Starmer has pledged that “Southport must be a line in the sand”, promising a thorough inquiry where “nothing will be off the table”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced that “the families and the people of Southport need answers about what happened leading up to this attack”.
