Government secrecy fuelled Southport attack conspiracy theories, say Tories

Police walk past a burnt out car in Hartlepool in the wake of the Southport attack (PA/Owen Humphreys) - (PA Archive)

The Conservatives have accused the Government of being responsible for “secrecy” that gave rise to the riots in the aftermath of the Southport terror attack last year.

Shadow solicitor general Helen Grant said the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, had reported the lack of information by the Government, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police had been a “catalyst for media disinformation and public distrust”.