Downing Street has rejected calls for sentencing changes following the Southport murders, stating it cannot extend whole-life sentences to killers under 18 due to international law. Axel Rudakubana, 17 at the time of the attack, was sentenced to 52 years in prison for murdering three girls and attempting to murder eight others and two adults.
The sentence means Rudakubana will not be considered for release until he is 70. However, Labour MP for Southport Patrick Hurley called the sentence “not severe enough,” while Conservatives argued there is a “strong case” for a law change. Reform UK MPs Rupert Lowe and Lee Anderson called for the return of the death penalty, which Downing Street ruled out.
Defence Secretary John Healey refused to rule out changing the law to allow whole-life sentences for under-18s, saying “nothing is off the table.” But a No 10 spokesperson said the UK is restricted by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits unlimited sentences for minors. The previous government also recognised this when changing the law.
Hurley expressed alarm that survivors could face repeated parole hearings when they reach their 50s. The government plans to compel criminals to attend sentencing hearings, but exceptions may be made for disruptive defendants. A public inquiry into the stabbings will proceed as quickly as possible, with timetables set after consulting the coroner and victims' families.
