much the entire nation. pretty much the entire nation. our hearts were collectively broken. the news that came out of southport, i mean, even just i mean, like any of you, i think, you know, straight away the chills begin. there is imminently about to be a vigil paid to these children. let's just cross live now . to stand just cross live now. to stand here and see the sea of faces is so tribute to everybody who's here. >> the town of southport . as we >> the town of southport. as we come together to stand in solidarity as a town with those who have had life changing tragedy , and everybody who has tragedy, and everybody who has felt the effect of what may was

last. navalny abdul ezedi spiritual health here in southport and ormskirk hospital spend two thirds of my life living in southport. so i'm a southport resident. i represent a community, first responders and so many people whose lives will never be the same after yesterday . southport is not used yesterday. southport is not used to global attention to be known around the globe for a defining incident that shook us all to the core . the core. >> taylor swift yourself commented on the bakhmut to bracelets of friendship, which people are encouraged to make and swap, and share, remind us we should never feel alone .

we should never feel alone. >> clearly, the crowd tonight show we want to stand together. it's my privilege now to invite mayor of sefton to come and say a few words. >> thank you everybody, for coming here. and i can't believe how many hundreds of people here. >> and hopefully the family will gain some support for the fact that we all care, that we all support each other, that we've all just hold each his hand, giving each other a hug, just making sure that everybody is okay. >> it's hard to find the correct words to say with such a dreadful, dreadful, horrendous storm. >> and i when i went over to buy some flowers, if you it really it gets you. >> you can't help but cry

because of the outpouring of grief, the sadness, the fact that we're actually having to do that. >> but actually having to go and lay flowers because some little children wanted to dance at the beginning of their school holidays , it's just unbelievable . holidays, it's just unbelievable. >> and i hope, i hope all of you here find some comfort from somebody , even if it's somebody somebody, even if it's somebody that you meet today. a stranger that you meet today. a stranger that you meet today. a stranger that you see needs help . please that you see needs help. please reach out and be kind and help them. and just that's what's just let the families grieve and the way that they wish to grieve . the way that they wish to grieve. and if i can ask for calm and respect at this time, thank you very much .

very much. madam mayor, thank you for those very wise, impassioned words . very wise, impassioned words. >> tonight is not about labels or creed, but it is about standing in solidarity together in the face of terrible, life changing events. >> we share our common humanity and we weep together . we cannot and we weep together. we cannot imagine the horror of what was experienced yesterday. >> we cannot imagine the trauma experienced by children , parents experienced by children, parents and the massive ripple in the pond effect . pond effect. >> as the story unfolded . we do >> as the story unfolded. we do stick together and represented here tonight . here tonight. >> our representatives from faith communities. bishop of liverpool is here. many

representatives from first responders and from the hospital . responders and from the hospital. the invitation this evening is to stand together in silence . we to stand together in silence. we will be holding a minute silence, after which there will be the opportunity to lay flowers to light candles, or simply stand and respect . we simply stand and respect. we remember those who have died. we remember those who have died. we remember those who are experiencing an overwhelming intensity of grief . intensity of grief. >> we want to be together in the face of unbelievable events , face of unbelievable events, which we cannot even begin to process. i invite you now with me to hold a minute silence as we reflect and reflect .

oh over this one minute. may day the doctor . mish the doctor . the doctor. mish the doctor. okay . okay. the doctor there . the doctor there.

is >> so many people. step back . >> so many people. step back. now step back please. i need one person. >> all right . just to say. wegovy and arranging the discovery tonight where we can meet , safely, meet, safely, >> and just be together. >> and just be together. >> so thank you very much for.

us. i'm so. the distinguished guests are also the lord mayor of liverpool. >> they are the incredibly emotional scenes that we're seeing in southport. there we've just seen conversations and speeches from local dignitaries, the mayor, the councillors and so on and so forth. they've just done a minute's silence for those children, of course, those children that were killed who we now know to be b.b. children that were killed who we now know to be bb. king, age six, elsie dot stancombe , age six, elsie dot stancombe, age seven alice akua , age nine, seven alice akua, age nine, there was quite a commotion happening there on the scenes as well. will hollis, our reporter, he's on the ground . will hollis, he's on the ground. will hollis, let's go over to you as we journey forward, may we pledge ourselves to care for the

bereaved and the hurting will be resolved to create communities of support and care, to stand strong together in the face of such terrible events. sorry. we'll come back to will in just a second. but what i can tell you is that there are some quite chaotic scenes there, and from what we gather, from to talking will, just a second ago, there were shouts of paramedic! paramedic, it seems that someone just needed medical assistance in that audience . it seemed that in that audience. it seemed that that medical assistance was then provided. and then, of course, you saw the round of applause. i was just talking to you. then you've got those three little girls. who i've just mentioned, b.b. king, aged six. you've got elsie stancombe, aged seven, you've got alice akua, age nine, alex steen . alex steen. >> i'm it's very difficult to hear those names and think about what happened to those children. i thought of my child as. that

minute's silence was held, as. i'm sure you thought of yours. >> i most certainly did. when those of us old enough to remember the dunblane massacre , remember the dunblane massacre, when, 15 children died , 16 when, 15 children died, 16 children died. >> excuse me. it's impossible to explain an act of madness like that. an act of evil like that. but then one looks at the community and the way that it rallies round the people affected by it . this scene here affected by it. this scene here is a remarkable one. it's a remarkable show of strength and support by those affected. but we're going to have there will come a time, and today is not the day when we move past platitudes and we move to action. the prime minister has stated that knife crime is his moral mission to address. he is now our prime minister of all of us, not a and i, as a

conservative, wish him well, just generally of course, as our prime minister, but specifically on this. and if there's anything that any of us can do to help him, we should and must, because this is an enormous blight on our community and those responsible for it should never see the light of day again. >> indeed, bill rammell it's heart rending. >> primary school kids going to, a holiday music club and being torn asunder. it's every parent's worst nightmare. and i said to you earlier, michelle, no parent should ever have to bury their children, it is absolutely shocking and appalling. i agree with alex. the dignity, the solidarity of the local community coming together is really important, but we do need and it's i agree again, it's for not today. we do

need to face up to knife crime across every category of crime. over the last 30 years, they've gone down. the exception is knife crime, which has gone up 72% since 2015. we have to tackle that . and it's partly i tackle that. and it's partly i say today is not about the solutions, but it's partly making abundantly clear to young people that you are not safer carrying a knife. in fact, the reverse of that. >> yeah, but of course, this wasn't an example of a gang member or someone who felt himself in dealing drugs or something on the street going equipped, or even running in fear of a game. this is someone who equipped himself and deliberately went to a place where he knew that very young children would be, and set about killing as many of them as he can, as he could. and that's why the dunblane example occurred to me. one, because it was, of course, appalling, but two, because in that example, the man concerned kept going until he

had and he injured another 15 or so children and killed a teacher in the course of taking those 16 lives. this kind of evil is not new to it, to us, but we are blessed and lucky in that it's relatively rare when it comes. we must do as as people are behaving here and show our how disgusted we are, but also how much we support those affected. but there will come a reckoning and there will come a time and justice must be done here in no uncertain measures. >> indeed, i must apologise as well. actually, when we returned from that vigil, i was very emotional. i struggle with this immensely because, you know, when you think about society , when you think about society, you know, the most vulnerable people in it are the very, very young and the very, very old. and i personally believe that there should be such a innocence, and beauty around youth. all of the problems that as adults, unfortunately, we come face to face with toe to toe with life is difficult, life

is strained. you know, any good parent will tell you that what we do is we desperately try and protect our children from each and every kind of ailment. ill, negativity in society. we try and have children to be as innocent as we possibly can for as long as we possibly can. so for me, and i know for lots of you at home, seeing these scenes live now in southport, you've got lots and lots of families. if you're listening on the radio, i shall describe that. we're outdoors, we're at the vigil. you can see it's a community in mourning. people are literally physically, at times turning to each other. you've got so many children in the audience. and i think that's one of the things that greatly just touched me. it's a beautiful sunny night, you know, one of the most beautiful evenings weather wise, we've had in such a long time. those children should be out. they should be playing. they should be charging around, doing whatever it is that kids do. they shouldn't be standing in this centre mourning their

friends. i think it is one of the most horrendous things i've ever had to report on, and i will just remind us all of the people that have been impacted by this. we've got six year old b.b. king, we've got elsie stancombe, age seven. we've got alice akua, age nine. and of course, we do know that we've got five children still in hospital, and we've also got two adults who, by all accounts, very bravely, very heroically did everything that they could to try and protect as many of those children as possible . we those children as possible. we believe that they were up to 25 children in that event, it was a taylor swift. dance event i'm showing you on the screen now, the three little girls that are very sad, very tragically, lost. i don't even want to say lost. they've been killed. murdered? they've been killed. murdered? they've been killed. murdered? they've been slaughtered in the most horrendous ways of possible, of course, a taylor swift event. many of us will have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or just know

children. taylor swift, taylor swift sorry , is somebody that swift sorry, is somebody that these young girls, they idolise, they look up to her. i was recently at a little tribute to, taylor swift and so many children. they'd made these little posters. they were so happy and to be somewhere where you're supposed to be safe and happy and have this happen, it is just beyond comprehension. i do want to just say that taylor swift, she issued a statement as well. i will take a second to read it out to you. taylor swift says the horror of yesterday's attack in southport is washing over me continuously, and i'm just completely in shock. the loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everybody who was there, the families and the first responders. these were just little kids at a dance class. i'm at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families. that's taylor swift issuing that statement. i will just cross live to our reporter on the ground there in

southport. will hollis. well, good evening. back to you . good evening. back to you. >> yes. good evening michelle. well, now that the service has ended, there's starting to be a bit of a hum once again in this southport square right in the centre of the town, as thousands of people cram into what is a small square next to the town hall. you've just heard some of the speeches there from people from the local church, as well as the local mayor for the sefton area, which is where southport is, and the mayor of the liverpool region. you also heard as well nothing. nothing really, but the sound of seagulls, as there was that minute's silence. you could have heard a pin drop and now what's happening is people that have got flowers in their arms are taking them down to the centre of this square , laying them in of this square, laying them in what i would describe as a horseshoe around a small platform . people are also giving

platform. people are also giving out candles and they're going to be lighting those candles. people have got little jewels as well, little charms that they're going to be putting on the flowers. you can see from the pictures that we're seeing that it seems that everybody from southport has come down tonight , southport has come down tonight, because this is something that matters so much to them . this is matters so much to them. this is a tight knit community. that's what i've been told in the last couple of days since we first started reporting this horrific story yesterday. it's a seaside town, too not far from liverpool, maybe 40 minutes away, a place where people come to celebrate, to enjoy their holidays and that's exactly what these little girls were doing. enjoying a summer dance club, listening to the music of one of the most popular pop stars of a generation , taylor swift. and generation, taylor swift. and then something horrific happened.a then something horrific happened. a man came in armed with a knife, started attacking people . we know the story now.

people. we know the story now. it's been on the for news 24 plus hours. this is where the story is at now. thousands of people, a community where many people, a community where many people would know each other. a lot of people will be to next strangers right now, but they're coming together in shock in grief, in pain , but united in grief, in pain, but united in the feeling that this is not what people want to see in their communities. happening to the most vulnerable of people . most vulnerable of people. alyssa mcguire, age nine. two other young girls as well, aged seven and six, the pain here is so much , and people are hurting so much, and people are hurting in a way that few people hurt in their lifetimes . their lifetimes. >> thank you very much for that. i'm going to take a very short break. i very much welcome you to get in touch with me tonight

in all the usual ways, this is something that i think as a society, i think we're going through together. i think many people are listening to what you're saying already. collectively grieving. our hearts broken, we'll see you

hello there. i'm michelle dewberry. this is, of course , dewberry. this is, of course, dewbs& co. the main story that anyone is thinking about talking about and distracted by today. it's been very , very hard, it's been very, very hard, i think, hasn't it, to even try and think about anything else at all. quite frankly, whatever subject that may be was the horrendous, horrendous situation that we've seen unfold. we've just been starting the programme there. we've got will hollis live at that vigil in southport alongside me. i've got my panel of conservative commentator alex

dean and the former labour minister, bill rammell. welcome back to each of you. if you're just joining us, i mean, we've just joining us, i mean, we've just been showing you the heartbreaking scenes. there's no other words for it. and it's such a strange to do a show like this when something like this is unfolding. yes, it's really challenging. >> yes. it's very it's very hard . >> yes. it's very it's very hard. and i was on air with you the night that david amess had been killed . and it's a different killed. and it's a different sort of event, but a tragedy of a different kind. david lived a full life. it was different and hard for me then, because i knew him a little, and that didn't make me special. everyone. the tory party knew him. he was just a bon vivant. he was everywhere. this is hard because these innocent lives have been taken and it is so utterly, utterly senseless. obviously, the murder of david amess was senseless as well. but what i mean is he was targeted in part because he was a member of parliament. these

were little girls that had dancing class , and we were dancing class, and we were watching the footage of the children and adults who had gathered at the service just now . gathered at the service just now. and one of the things that's so difficult to contemplate is how to explain to those children what had happened to their peers, what had happened to their friends. peers, what had happened to theirfriends. it peers, what had happened to their friends. it isn't just these children, appalling as it is , that they have had their is, that they have had their lives stolen from them. the innocence of these children has been stolen too. >> but it is that violation of innocence that is so shocking and so heart rending in these circumstances . and you wouldn't circumstances. and you wouldn't be human if you don't think of it personally. i mean, you know, my kids are in their 30s, but i've got two grandkids of the this age , and you just it this age, and you just it doesn't bear thinking about the, you know, they could be affected in this way. >> sorry to interrupt you. the home secretary is speaking in the commons about this taylor swift and celebrating the start of the school holidays. >> what should have been a joyful start to the summer turned into an unspeakable

tragedy . three young children tragedy. three young children have lost their lives. b.b. king, age six. elsie stancombe, age seven, and alice da silva aguilar, age nine. the police have released some words that alice's family have said keep smiling and dancing like you love to do. our princess. six other children and two adults are being treated still for their injuries in hospital and their injuries in hospital and the whole house and the whole country is united in shock and in grief. and together we send our thoughts, our prayers and deepest condolences to everybody who has been affected by these terrible events. this morning, i joined the merseyside chief constable, chief fire officer , constable, chief fire officer, police and crime commissioner and my right honourable friend, the mp for southport, to lay flowers on the street of the

attack and the prime minister has been in southport with the mayor of the liverpool city region this afternoon . i also region this afternoon. i also met this morning with some of the first responders and police. the north west ambulance service and merseyside fire and rescue , and merseyside fire and rescue, who arrived at an unimaginably distressing scene yesterday and who responded with heroic professionalism, aided by passers by, nhs workers and off duty emergency workers who heard the calls of distress and ran to help . as the police officer said help. as the police officer said to me when we spoke, they do these jobs knowing they can be called upon in the toughest of times, but nothing still can prepare you for an attack on little children , and i want to little children, and i want to recognise the toll that that can take. those emergency workers were back at work yesterday. they live locally and some of them had been to the dance centre in the past with their own children or relatives, but they wanted to be out in their own community, continuing to

serve and support the people of southport. that is public service at its very best. i also offer my sincere thanks to everyone in the nhs with hospitals across the region tending to the victims and supporting their families right now, to and sefton council, merseyside police and family liaison officers who are already working to provide extensive support to the victims families and to the community. and this morning i met with staff from victim care, the samaritans and local youth workers who are also already providing local support to those who need it. the home office and the ministry of housing, communities and local governments stand ready to support them and work with them as they deal with the distressing aftermath of this terrible attack . merseyside terrible attack. merseyside police are now leading an extremely serious criminal investigation. they are being supported by counter—terrorism

police and so far merseyside police have confirmed they were called to the dance studio just before noon yesterday morning with 13 people had been attacked, 11 children and two adults who tried to prevent the attack and they arrested a 17 year old male at the scene . the year old male at the scene. the police have said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack, and they do not believe there is an ongoing threat . as you have ongoing threat. as you have rightly reminded the house, mr speaken rightly reminded the house, mr speaker, this is an ongoing investigation. it must not be impeded or compromised in any way that means all of us have a responsibility not to do or say anything to cut across or prejudice the criminal investigation. we must let the police do their job, and they have my full backing in that task. and more than that, we must show respect for the families where there are updates. merseyside police work hard to try to provide information first to the families, even though that is not easy or possible. not is not

always easy or possible. likewise, it is extremely important that people do not spread damaging misinformation online. false information has already been extensively shared in the last 24 hours. those who do this for their own purposes risk undermining a crucial criminal investigation and i ask everyone to show some respect for the community in southport and for families who are grieving and in trauma in these dark and difficult moments, the police must be able to get on with their work and communities must be given the time and space to grieve and heal without outside voices seeking to use events to stir up division or advance their own views , there advance their own views, there will be other questions that flow as the investigation develops. we will doubtless in the days ahead, discuss terrible violence and its causes. the investigation will, of course, pursue any contact the suspect may or may not have had with

different agencies before the incident took place , and incident took place, and southport will no doubt be in our minds when we debate martyn's law as part of the king's speech. but for today , king's speech. but for today, the most important focus of all must be the injured children, the grieving and traumatised families and the people of southport who are in shock at what has happened tonight . what has happened tonight. people from across southport are gathering for a community vigil. when i visited this morning, many people were gathering at southport football club , which southport football club, which had thrown its doors open for the community and where youth workers told me they were determined to keep supporting southport children with events. this summer and i hope everybody will recognise the sense of community and solidarity of the people of southport who have come together to support each other in the most terrible of times. the words of one paramedic have stayed with me and he described how terrible it was when he arrived and how

despairing he felt, but also how proud he was of his colleagues and passers by who pulled together to help. and he said that while facing the very worst of times, he could also see around him in his colleagues and passers by who were working together to save lives. the very best of humanity, and that is what we keep in our hearts as we think of southport, as we think of the grieving families and most of all, our thoughts are with the little children and we keep them in our prayers tonight. i commend this statement to the house shadow home secretary, james cleverly . home secretary, james cleverly. >> thank you, mr speaker. and i also thank the secretary of state for an advanced copy of her statement. this was a heinous attack on innocent children and those caring for them at the start of the summer holidays. it has left no doubt families broken and a community

scarred . i am grateful to the scarred. i am grateful to the home secretary for coming to the house to update us on this situation, and i am grateful to you, mr speaker, for allowing flexibility on the order paper so that this event can be discussed . the home secretary discussed. the home secretary and the prime minister of course, have done the right thing by going to southport today to offer the government's condolences. and i echo their sentiment. all of our thoughts are with the victims of this appalling attack. their families and the people of southport at this incredibly difficult time. our thoughts are especially with those who have lost their lives and those who are currently being treated in hospital . some, being treated in hospital. some, of course in critical condition. and we think of their families at this time. i want to thank

our emergency services, who responded to this horrific attack. we should never take the bravery of those people who serve us for granted, and it is a reminder that when those people run towards danger, run towards unknown circumstances, we are duty bound to give them our support so that they can act decisively and with confidence, and do everything they to can save lives . and of course, our save lives. and of course, our ongoing thanks goes to the staff of the national health service, who are currently caring for those victims who are receiving hospital treatment and particular thanks. go to the members of the public who intervened to help. despite the very significant danger to themselves. their bravery cannot be overstated . we still know

be overstated. we still know little about the details of what happened yesterday, and the right hon. lady is absolutely right hon. lady is absolutely right that we give the police the time to do a proper and thorough investigation, and she is also right to highlight the impact of misinformation and disinformation online. enough people are already distressed without their distress being amplified by speculation and gossip online. i would ask that she follows up with the conversations that i had in the united states of america with the social media platforms regarding their responsibility in this regard, but it is also a reminder to all of us that we have a personal responsibility to check before we share and do

not feel the need to get involved in the grief of others. there will, of course, be a time when we must ask how this happened, so that we can take the right steps to ensure that no child, no family and no community has to face the anguish that the people of southport are feeling today. it is, of course, too early for us to know the full picture, but an attack on innocent children enjoying their summer holiday strikes to the heart of us all. and no matter what, drove this individual to commit this appalling crime, we stand together in solidarity with the people of southport today and i want to finish by of course, saying that our hearts go out to the three young girls who have lost their lives bebe, elsie and alice. we cannot imagine what their families are going through now, and i know the whole house

will join the home secretary and me in expressing our condolences to them, and i thank the home secretary for her statement. >> home secretary , can i thank >> home secretary, can i thank the shadow home secretary for his words and for his support for the families, for the whole community in southport, particularly for his tribute to emergency service workers who he will know from all of his past experience, they the heroism that they show. >> but that was strained beyond anything that we could have imagined with what they had to deal with yesterday. and to his recognition of the bravery of passers by who came forward to help as well. i agree with him, too, about the responsibility on every one of us. the police do need to be able to pursue this investigation. there will be wider questions for other days, but the most important thing is that every one of us supports

the police in their investigation. now, i agree with him too about the responsibility on social media companies , on social media companies, because we do need to recognise there are things that are taking place on social media that go against their terms and conditions and their commitments as well. they need to take some responsibility for that. but above all, this is about young children and this is about children and this is about children and this is about children and their families who will be grieving , and many other will be grieving, and many other children who were involved yesterday who will be facing great trauma as well. and this is a moment when it's not just the people of southport who will be desperately wanting to come together to support their own. this is about all of us, not just across this house, but across the whole country. being there for the people of southport and the families who have lost loved ones , just to have lost loved ones, just to say the member of parliament for southport is actually in the constituency and i'm going to take the most immediate mp, bill esterson .

esterson. >> thank you very much. mr speaken >> thank you very much. mr speaker. our honourable friend is at the vigil, which is taking place as we gather, and i am sure that he is grateful, as are his constituents, for the visits of the prime minister and the home secretary earlier today. and he will be grateful and they will be grateful to both the home secretary and the shadow home secretary and the shadow home secretary and the shadow home secretary for what they have said this evening. this is about bebe, it is about elsie, and it is about alice. it's about three young children who were murdered and the prime minister talked about a collective trauma. the people of merseyside. i think that is exactly what is going on. my constituents are reflecting it, as are the people in southport . as are the people in southport. and can i then pass on the thanks of my constituents to the emergency services for their response to the fact that they are back at work today, as the home secretary said , and as the

home secretary said, and as the shadow home secretary said to those local people who intervened as well, can i also add to what the home secretary said about the importance of responsibility of everyone here, but everyone more widely, and the concerns that she and the shadow home secretary expressed about what has been said on social media. and can i just say that i think the best way to respond to it is to look at the overwhelming sense of love and support that is seen at the vigil, in the many messages that have been left in the floral tributes and online from the vast majority of people, not just in southport but across the country. and that is the appropriate way to support those victims and their grieving loved ones. this evening . ones. this evening. >> can i thank my honourable

friend for his words? >> i know how much the debate we're going to show for southport. >> there you go. that was the response. live from the house of commons there. of course, i want to remind everybody that the three little girls on our screen are the three people, the three children that were killed, horrendously in southport yesterday. b.b. king, aged six, elsie stancombe, aged seven, alice akua, age nine. i'm not being disrespectful to any politician, or member of the house there, but for me tonight is mainly about these children , is mainly about these children, not just those children. the five children that are also remain in hospital, and the two adults as well, apparently heroically, did everything possible to try and save as many children's lives as they possibly could. heroes. that's a word that gets thrown around often, but it's really

appropriate in this case. now, this is i deliberately came away from reflecting on parliament and bringing it back to the girls , because there's quite a girls, because there's quite a sense today there's a lot of people that are very angry. i mean, i'm watching, trust me, i'm watching the usa. i'm watching my inbox, i'm watching twitter, and i'm seeing what you're saying. i'm feeling your emotions. i'm certainly feeling your anger. i'm feeling your level of distrust. i'm seeing and feeling it all, i want to touch on the issue of faith because i think when something like this happens. alex, would you saw that vigil ? yeah. faith you saw that vigil? yeah. faith plays a really interesting part there. we hear, didn't we? prayers to those people affected, i know you're a religious man. what's your take on this? >> well, my faith sustains me in hard times, but i don't expect that to be a universal balm . and that to be a universal balm. and indeed, faith in different ways has moved some people to do appalling things in in recent

times. and indeed, if i reflect on we don't know what's going on here yet, but they are the manchester arena attack and ariana grande, or indeed recently at fishmongers hall, here in the united kingdom , and here in the united kingdom, and jim chowdhury sentenced today someone who manipulates and abuses faith in the worst way. so, my feeling would be a great comfort to me in in these times and it, it hopefully is a is a comfort to some of those affected by this , but it is very affected by this, but it is very much, i'm afraid, a two edged sword in the modern world. yeah. >> and i think i'm not overly religious, i will confess, but i'm certainly praying for the children affected. the, all of them still in hospital, the adults, the families affected. your thoughts? bill >> yeah. i mean, i'm a person of faith, but i actually think it's in a sense, it's beyond faith. it's about our common humanity, and how we work together to resolve this appalling tragedy. and i get what you say,

michelle, that this isn't about politics, but, you know, we're going to have to move forward. and i was struck by what alex said about dunblane , because i said about dunblane, because i remember dunblane and it's the nearest analogy to what has happened here. and i remember john major and tony blair going together to dunblane. and in the days ahead , i think it's really days ahead, i think it's really important that there is a cross—party attempt to tackle these issues. you know, no point scoring. yeah. if there was an easy, simple solution to knife crime, it would have been delivered before now. and i think the tone, the working together and trying to root this out is hugely important. >> i agree with that. and i thought that the home secretary and shadow home secretary both got the tone just right today. but there is no doubt in my mind we've had 14 years of government in which my party was the predominant or sole party in government. it is now labour's responsibility and there's no doubtin responsibility and there's no doubt in my mind it is harder to

be in government. it is easy to say good things. it is easy. no offence to james cleverly . it's offence to james cleverly. it's easy to be the shadow home secretary who says the right things on this occasion. the real acid test is what we now do and the conservative party, i hope, and i certainly will do. people will do all we can to help the prime minister and what his party is described as his moral mission to deal with, with knife crime. it is a one hell of a burden. how can one look at the scenes that we've just seen and be anything other than profoundly moved? i it's actually it's for all of us to support the government in in this and si king to deal with it. but we can't settle for , it. but we can't settle for, platitudes and inaction and there will be a temptation. and again , it's not for now to again, it's not for now to figure out what happens next. but there's got to be decisive action on this. michel. >> yeah. and that's why. because it's really when i was listening to those speeches there in parliament and i was thinking, how do i want to come back from this? do i want to reflect on those words? and actually, i

thought, no, i don't, because i think that there is , a sense of think that there is, a sense of angen think that there is, a sense of anger, a real sense of anger. it was obvious when the prime minister was going to lay flowers and look people in, in the immediate aftermath of something as appalling as this, are naturally angry. >> they will be angry at the world and understandably so. right | world and understandably so. right i was, i played with my son today, and i thought, as i did so, of the little girls who will be denied a future, i hope he will have, and it is very difficult to think about those things without feeling the anger that you describe . there will that you describe. there will come a time when not in anger, but in level headed evenness of temper. we will have to take some real actions as a country to stop this kind of thing happening again. >> that's absolutely right. and angeris >> that's absolutely right. and anger is totally understandable today. you know, everybody is feeling that in one way, shape or form. but we do need to come together and we do need to tackle both the effects of knife knife crime . but how we get to

knife crime. but how we get to knife crime. but how we get to knife crime. but how we get to knife crime. sure. and i think there are some, you know, really challenging links with the way that young men feel, that the only way that they can protect themselves is by carrying knives, when in fact, the reverse of that is the case. we've got to challenge that. and we've got to be tougher on the way that we deal with the effects of knife crime as well. >> we do. and i just want to show each and every one of you at home. i'm angry. i'm as angry as all of you are at home. and you know me. if you watch this programme regularly, i will not ever shy away from very difficult conversations that i know you want us to have. i can see what you're saying to me. i promise you i will not shy away from any difficult conversations on this topic, but i just for now, i don't even want to give a merman of anything to the disgraceful individual that did this. i want to make it about these children, their families and us as a collective community. patricia says . community. patricia says. michelle, i'm so sad, she said.

she's also quite afraid. she feels we have become a totally lawless society. adrian says , lawless society. adrian says, michelle, i just want to say rest in peace to these children. and i confess he says, i am in tears. sharon says this is all just so emotional and so sad . just so emotional and so sad. please, these three little ones rest in peace, nigel says michelle, i'm 300 miles away from all of this, but i am absolutely in bits. he says his heart is broken. michael says, my heart goes out to everyone affected all the children and their families. affected all the children and theirfamilies. i've affected all the children and their families. i've got four daughters, he says. and it sends shivers down my spine. michael, you speak for a lot of parents and beyond. let me cross live back to southport. will hollis, our reporter , he is live there. our reporter, he is live there. good evening. back to you. will >> yes. well thousands of people coming to what is a focal point in southport , just in the front

in southport, just in the front of the town hall to lay flowers, to listen to tributes. >> but more than anything, i think to be together at a time when communities could feel like they're being torn apart, you can see that there's far fewer people now as people start to head home, they've been laying flowers and then they've maybe taken a moment to stand and read and to hold their family members tides and spend a moment with people that they are maybe bumped into and haven't seen for a while . while some people are a while. while some people are heading home, some people are standing stiff like .just heading home, some people are standing stiff like . just being standing stiff like. just being here in silence at a time when you might feel like you want to scream . southport is a place scream. southport is a place where people come for a happy time to celebrate the joys of life . holidays now this is

life. holidays now this is a place of grief and shock where people are hurting in the most unimaginable way. you can see there are people of all ages. grandma's here with grandchildren , family members , grandchildren, family members, friends . we've spoken to a few friends. we've spoken to a few people, but people are hurting. so much that they simply don't want to stand in front of a camera, whether that's because they're fearful of the emotions that they'll show or they don't quite know what words that they have to say. but what you can see on your television screens right now, heads bowed, flowers bright colours. i saw a young girl with a taylor swift t shirt on and i thought, i bet you where that taylor swift t shirt all of the time. but today it matters more than anything else. there are balloons. there are local people from the church. there are people wearing hi vis jackets for samaritans because

at a time like this, people are hurting in a way that is unimaginable . but the community unimaginable. but the community is coming together in a way that we can believe together in britain at the heart, to remember three little girls and others that are in serious conditions, three people dead . conditions, three people dead. >> well, hollis, thank you very much for that. not just three people dead, three children. killed in the horrendous way. b.b. king, elsie stancomb, alice akua. b.b. king, elsie stancomb, alice akua . those are the three people akua. those are the three people that we are remembering tonight whilst also remembering the five children that as we sit and we sit in this tv studio and you sit in this tv studio and you sit at home or in your car or wherever you're watching and listening, there are still five children that are fighting for their lives in hospital. there are still two adults that are fighting for their lives in hospital. i want to say that there has been, a justgiving page set up by the swifties for

southport, they've come together. they are working with alder hey children's hospital to help raise money for the families affected by this tragedy . lots of people are tragedy. lots of people are donating there as you can imagine, the total now is currently standing at £203,000. something tells me that will continue to skyrocket. gentlemen, i thank you for your company tonight, bill rammell and alex dean. it's not been an easy show for anybody. no, but it's not about us. it's about the families that are deeply affected in southport. our hearts go out to each and every single person. we will be praying and thinking about you this evening . one of my viewers this evening. one of my viewers has asked a simple question . has asked a simple question. why? that is the million dollar question. i promise you, i will not shy away from the difficult conversations, the anger that you guys feel. i just feel like tonight it's not about us. it's about b.b. king. elsie stancomb, alice akua and all of the others

that are fighting for their life. we pray for you. >> for a brighter outlook with boxt solar sponsors of weather on gb news . on gb news. >> good evening. here's your latest gb news. weather forecast from the met office. the high temperatures, the high humidity will continue across southern parts through the next few days and that brings the risk of some thunderstorms, high pressure is generally in control, leading to a lot of fine and settled weather, but there is a weak front across northern parts of scotland and here it is a bit fresher than elsewhere . but as fresher than elsewhere. but as we go through the night, do watch out for some hefty showers pushing into southern parts of england. some of these could have the odd bit of thunder mixed in as well, and there may be a few pockets of mist and fog, but across southern parts it's really going to be a warm and sticky night. temperatures really holding up a much fresher story further north in fact, in

some of the rural spots, the sheltered glens of scotland, we could fall as low as 4 or 5 celsius. so a bit of a fresher, chilly start across scotland first thing. and that front i mentioned earlier, bringing some outbreaks of rain to the northern isles. otherwise it's a dry, bright and sunny story for many . a bit more cloud, perhaps many. a bit more cloud, perhaps across parts of northern ireland, and some parts of northern england. a bit of a grey start here, but elsewhere across much of england and wales, any mist and fog patches that do develop overnight will quickly be burnt away by the sun, and there will be plenty of sunshine and plenty of blue skies. that being said, we are expecting a few more showers to develop as we go into the afternoon, particularly across southern southeastern parts, and these showers could be fairly intense. some heavy downpours, some frequent lightning, some thunder and hail all could lead to some issues. the temperatures are still going to be on the high side, just about getting into the low 30s across the south. fresher than this though further north similar to today. high teens, low 20s, so feeling warm enough in any sunshine into thursday and the heavy

thunderstorms are going to be a bit more widespread across much of england and wales, there is the risk of some thundery downpours. meanwhile, across scotland and northern ireland, a few showers are possible and it is going to be a little bit cloudy at times. friday is looking like it will be a bit dry for many before something fresher and wetter by the weekend. by by looks like things are heating up . are heating up. >> boxt boilers sponsors of weather on gb news

>> good evening . it's almost too >> good evening. it's almost too awful to want to debate, but we have no choice. following the statement by yvette cooper, the home secretary , we will of home secretary, we will of course talk about the tragic , course talk about the tragic, ghastly southport stabbings. we'll talk about the freezing of

fuel payments to 10 million pensioners. and angela rayner makes a big pledge to build 1.5 million houses. just how realistic is that? all of that coming up in just a moment. but first, let's get the news for polly middlehurst . polly middlehurst. >> nigel, thank you and good evening to you . well, if you've evening to you. well, if you've been watching gb news this evening, you'll have seen that a vigil has been held to remember the victims of the knife attack in southport. hundreds of people gathered outside the town's grand atkinson building to observe a minute's silence. just over an hour ago. our reporter, will hollis is at the vigil. >> a lot of people will be next to strangers right now, but they're coming together in shock in grief, in pain , but united in in grief, in pain, but united in the feeling that this is not what people want to see in their communities. happening to the most vulnerable of people . the

most vulnerable of people. the pain here