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Nigel Farage Ally Slams Keir Starmer Over “Absurd” Claim of Ignorance About Southport Killer’s Ricin
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Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has vehemently dismissed claims that Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer was unaware of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana’s possession of the deadly poison ricin. Yusuf labeled such suggestions as “absurd” amid ongoing debates about the handling of the tragic case.
Axel Rudakubana, an 18-year-old from Southport, was sentenced last week to a minimum of 52 years in prison after being convicted at Liverpool Crown Court on ten counts of attempted murder, producing ricin, and possessing an al-Qaeda training manual. The court heard that Rudakubana launched a violent attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last year, fatally stabbing three young girls and injuring ten others.
Following his arrest, authorities discovered ricin and extremist materials in Rudakubana’s possession. Despite the severity of his actions, Rudakubana was not subjected to a whole-life order due to being just nine days shy of his 18th birthday at the time of the offenses, reported by the Express.
Addressing GB News, Zia Yusuf argued against the notion that Sir Keir Starmer was unaware of the ricin. “Any suggestion that Sir Keir Starmer was not told Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was in possession of the deadly poison ricin is ‘absurd’,” Yusuf asserted. He criticized what he described as a “two-tier attitude” within the authorities, where “certain faiths are basically given differential treatment.”
Rudakubana’s horrifying rampage had already sparked riots across the UK, fueled by false rumors on social media that incorrectly identified him as a Muslim migrant. Yusuf condemned these misconceptions, emphasizing that Rudakubana was from a Christian family and had arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel.
In his remarks on the Camilla Tominey Show, Yusuf expressed deep sorrow over the loss of innocent lives. “We wanted for those lovely little girls to still be alive today. And that should have been the case, given how much was known to people who were paid by the taxpayer, whose moral obligation it was to ensure that such attacks do not happen,” he said.
Yusuf highlighted failures within the Prevent program, which had referred Rudakubana on three separate occasions without taking appropriate action. “If a suspect or somebody of suspicion is referred to Prevent on three separate occasions, and then nothing is done about it, this is going to result in atrocities like this happening,” he warned.
He further criticized both the Conservative and Labor governments for what he perceived as inadequate responses to immigration and extremist ideologies. “My sense of what has happened, and this is shared by the leadership of our party, is that the catastrophic number of people coming here, both legally and illegally, the failure of people to assimilate effectively and frankly, the proliferation of extremist ideology that has been allowed to go on, that has been allowed to proliferate by authorities,” Yusuf stated.
Yusuf also addressed concerns about civil unrest, suggesting that revealing details of Rudakubana’s possession of ricin might have incited further turmoil. “They would have been concerned that had the identity and the details of this attack been known, it would have caused civil unrest,” he added.
Jonathan Lipkin of the Investment Association echoed some of Yusuf’s sentiments, noting that with “the right guardrails in place,” the proposed pension fund reforms could channel more funding into the economy. However, Yusuf remains steadfast in his belief that current government policies have failed to prevent such tragedies.
As the nation grapples with the aftermath of Rudakubana’s actions, Yusuf calls for more stringent measures and accountability within government programs aimed at preventing extremist violence. His comments have ignited further debate on the effectiveness of current policies and the need for comprehensive reform to ensure public safety and trust in governmental institutions.