Southport inquiry to examine internet and social media role in violence

The Southport Inquiry opened its second phase in London on Wednesday, with hearings set to probe how internet use and social media can influence people drawn to extreme violence. The session at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in St Paul’s marked a shift from the circumstances of the attack itself to the systems meant to detect and interrupt the threat before it becomes lethal.

Phase two will examine whether arrangements in England and Wales are adequate for managing the risk posed by violence-fixated individuals, or VFIs. The inquiry defines VFIs as people at risk of extreme violence where ideology is not the main driver. The inquiry will also look at the laws, processes and agencies, including Prevent and Counter Terrorism Policing, that respond when obsession with violence starts to harden into danger.

The main phase two hearings are due to begin in September 2026, after the inquiry’s first phase concluded that the attack at a children’s dance club in Southport on 29 July 2024 was foreseeable and avoidable. That attack killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King and Alice da Silva Aguiar, injured 10 other people and left 16 more survivors living with psychological injuries.

Phase one, published on 13 April 2026, found five fundamental failings in how the risk posed by Axel Rudakubana was understood and managed. It also produced 67 recommendations for central government, national bodies and local organisations.

The second phase was launched after consultation with the inquiry chair and those most affected by the attack. The Home Office established the inquiry on 7 April 2025.

Sir Adrian Fulford, who chairs the inquiry, said it is dealing with a growing challenge from violence-fixated individuals who often act alone after spending long hours online.