The horrific murders and attacks in Southport at the hands of 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana have shaken the nation.
His crimes were not just an appalling act of individual evil but also an indictment of a system that repeatedly failed to act, despite clear warning signs. Social services, the police and the courts all bear responsibility for failing to intervene early enough to prevent this catastrophe.
But this tragedy also raises fundamental questions about the role of the family, the consequences of parental neglect, and the broader cultural decay that has been exacerbated by decades of socialist policy.
For too long, British politics has shied away from the fundamental truth that strong families are the backbone of a functioning society. If we do not get families right, if we do not support parents in their responsibilities while also holding them accountable, we will continue to see young men like Rudakubana fall through the cracks—bringing destruction in their wake.
Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls in the Southport knife attack in July 2024PAIt is no coincidence that as family life in Britain has broken down, crime and social disorder have increased.
A culture of dependency, encouraged by left-wing policies, has diminished personal responsibility, weakened parental authority, and left countless children without the structure and discipline they need to grow into responsible adults.
Socialism, by its very nature, prioritises the state over the family, undermining the very institution that should be providing guidance, discipline, and moral values. For decades, the Left have actively undermined traditional parental roles with a ‘state knows best’ ideology.
But social workers and teachers cannot replace the role of engaged, responsible parents, and the tragic case of Axel Rudakubana is proof that this approach does not work.
In Rudakubana’s case, the warning signs were there. Rudakubana’s parents were clearly aware that their son was a danger. Yet no meaningful action was taken.
The answer lies in a system that reacts to problems rather than preventing them in the first place. Instead of waiting for disaster to strike, we need proper early intervention—identifying troubled children, supporting struggling parents, and ensuring that families have access to the guidance they need before situations spiral out of control.
Family Hubs, championed by Conservative MPs and leaders in recent years, are one of the best ways to achieve this.
Family Hubs provide parents with the tools they need to raise their children properly – offering support with mental health, discipline, and early childhood development. Crucially, they also help to reinforce the idea that parents, not the state, are ultimately responsible for their children.
But to be truly effective, they need proper funding and political will—something that only a party that values family as the bedrock of society can deliver.
Despite the glaring failures of the current system, Labour will never make family policy a priority. Why? Because socialism is fundamentally opposed to the idea of family as the primary unit of responsibility.
For the Left, the answer to every problem is more government, more spending, more intervention from unaccountable bureaucrats. They do not trust parents. They believe that social workers and teachers, not mothers and fathers, should be the ones raising Britain’s children.
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Violent anti-immigration riots shook the country following the stabbing of three young girls in Southport GettyThis ideology has contributed directly to the moral and social decline we see today. Children are growing up without discipline, without guidance, and without any sense of responsibility.
When the state replaces the family, we get more crime, more dysfunction, and more tragedies like the one we have just witnessed in Southport.
The Southport tragedy should serve as a wake-up call. Britain must return to a model that places family at the centre of society. That means properly supporting parents and ensuring that early intervention is not just a buzzword but a real policy priority.
But it also means restoring the principle of personal responsibility—holding parents accountable when they fail their children, rather than excusing their neglect under the guise of social circumstances. Strong families produce strong individuals.
Weak families produce broken individuals—and when broken individuals lash out, innocent people suffer. If Britain is to prevent future horrors like this, we must reject the failed socialist model of an all-powerful state and return to the core Conservative principle that families, not bureaucracies, hold the key to a safe and successful society.