00:00A senior Cabinet Office official has told the Southport Inquiry he wishes action to tackle violence-fixated individuals had gone
00:08faster and further.
00:10Peter Abbott, Deputy Director of Counterterrorism and Serious and Organised Crime in the National Security Secretariat, gave evidence about changes
00:20considered after the July 2024 attack.
00:23Three girls were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop, Elsie Dot Stankham 7, B.B. King 6 and
00:30Alistair Silva Aguirre 9.
00:32The inquiry's first phase concluded that Axel Rudiger-Barner, who had been referred to prevent three times, could and should
00:39have been stopped by the authorities.
00:41David Illingworth, representing victims, asked whether there had been a step change following a National Security Council call for one
00:48in March 2025.
00:49Mr Abbott said the system had worked and was in a markedly different position from July 2024, but acknowledged he
00:57wanted progress to have been faster and further reaching.
00:59The inquiry also heard that a proposed National Prevention Gateway would manage and track violence-fixated individuals.
01:06However, funding constraints meant the Home Office had to prioritise zero or low-cost options in the short term.
01:13Mr Abbott said work suggested the Gateway could cost hundreds of millions of pounds, although it had not been fully
01:18costed.
01:19He said resourcing decisions were for the Home Office, which would discuss funding with the Treasury.
01:24Mr Abbott said funding remained possible, but he could not prejudge discussions between the departments.
