Southport Inquiry: Phase 1 report

13/04/2026

Today, Sir Adrian Fulford, Chair of the Southport Inquiry, published his Phase 1 report addressing the attack at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport on 29 July 2024. The report focuses on the events and consequences of the attack, as well as the decision making and information sharing by local services and agencies that interacted with the perpetrator prior to the attack. The Chair identified five fundamental problems in how the perpetrator’s risk was understood and managed, as well as examining the roles and actions of the agencies involved. The report can be accessed on the Inquiry’s website below.

Phase 2 of the Inquiry will examine how future acts of extreme violence by violence-fixated individuals (VFIs) can be prevented.

Nicholas Moss KC and Richard Boyle are Counsel to the Inquiry. Nick Chapman KC led the team representing the Department for Education.