Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to representations made by the (a) Amess family, and (b) Father of the House and Rt Hon Member for Rayleigh and Wickford in their contributions to the Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment Debate in the House on 22 July 2025, if she will (i) establish a Public Inquiry into the failure of the Prevent programme in its dealings with the future killer or (ii) extend the terms of reference of the inquiry into the Southport killings, which she announced on 7 April 2025, to cover in addition the (A) murder of Sir David Amess and (B) similarities in the failures adequately to deal with either of the future killers.

Government published the report 'Lessons for Prevent' from the Interim Independent Prevent Commissioner on 16 July, in which Lord Anderson set out his view that the perpetrator's engagement with Prevent prior to the attack on Sir David Amess has been fully explored. The Government will act immediately on Lord Anderson's findings, building on the work that has already been completed following the Home Secretary's statement on Prevent reform in December 2024.

Currently, there is no evidence of the perpetrator having any contact with the state in a way that would have alerted authorities to his radicalisation or intent in the intervening years between his time on Prevent and his attack on Sir David. However, this intervening period does merit further exploration, so the Home Secretary has confirmed we will appoint a senior figure to scrutinise all the previous reviews that have taken place. We will act as necessary if any gaps are identified as a result of that process.