The solicitor representing the families of the three schoolgirls killed in the Southport attack has called for those who failed Elsie, Alice, and Bebe to lose their jobs, in a bid to restore public confidence. Chris Walker, Director of Serious Injury at Bond Turner, made the demand on behalf of the bereaved families as the government published its response to the first phase of the Southport Inquiry on July 2, 2026.
Government response to 67 recommendations
The government detailed how it had responded to each of the 67 recommendations made earlier this year following the inquiry, which found the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, 'could and should have been prevented'. Axel Rudakubana, then 17, launched the attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July 2024.
Inquiry chairman Sir Adrian Fulford said there was a 'fundamental failure' by any organisation or multi-agency arrangement to take ownership of the risk Rudakubana posed in the years leading up to the attack. The inquiry heard Rudakubana had contact with police, counter terrorism, social care, youth justice, and the NHS.
Five major failings identified
The report found five major failings: no agency accepted responsibility for assessing and managing the grave risk; essential information was repeatedly lost or diluted; Rudakubana's conduct was wrongly attributed to his autism spectrum disorder; his online behaviour showing obsession with violence was never examined; and his parents did not provide boundaries, permitting knives and weapons to be delivered to their home.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said it was time to 'right these wrongs' in a 64-page report on the government's response.
Demand for individual accountability
Chris Walker said: 'The Government's response reflects significant progress against the families' key asks... However, important questions remain around legal duties to report known threats and how accountability for institutional and individual failings will be secured.' He added: 'We have written to all relevant agencies demanding accountability from both a systemic and an individual perspective.'
Walker continued: 'Public statements of regret are hollow if there is no individual accountability... Those individuals who failed the most, must lose their jobs. Otherwise the public will have no confidence that an atrocity like this will be prevented from occurring again.'
Taxi driver licence revoked
The Liverpool Echo revealed that Gary Poland, the taxi driver who drove Rudakubana to the attack and left despite seeing children flee, had his taxi licence revoked by Sefton Council. Walker welcomed the decision as 'a necessary step towards securing individual accountability'.
Nicola Brook of Broudie Jackson Canter, representing three adult survivors, criticised the government for not informing victims directly about the response, saying: 'This is not the approach of a government committed to putting the victims first.' She highlighted a 'black hole in mental health funding' as a root cause.
Nicola Ryan-Donnelly of Fletchers Solicitors, representing 22 survivors' families, said: 'Our clients are pleased that the government have accepted all the recommendations... but the parents of these girls are yet to see hard evidence of any real change.'
The second phase of the inquiry is due to open next week in a one-day hearing before continuing in September 2026 in London.
