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'There's a crisis': Yvette Cooper brands prison safety a 'total disgrace' following Axel Rudakubana officer attack
11 May 2025, 10:15 | Updated: 11 May 2025, 10:26
The Home Secretary has branded prison safety a "total disgrace" after Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana attacked a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh.
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Speaking on Sunday with Lewis Goodall, Yvette Cooper said that prison officers "do a really difficult job and they deserve to be kept safe and have our support".
She added that the government is taking these incidents "very, very seriously".
Rudakubana allegedly used a kettle in his cell to heat water up and then poured boiling water over the officer on Thursday.
The prison officer was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, did not require further treatment and was discharged later that evening, it is understood. They are expected to return to work next week.
Watch Again: Lewis Goodall is joined by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper | 11/05/25
News of Rudakubana's attack on a prison officer comes just weeks four guards were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland.
Abedi has since been transferred to HMP Belmarsh.
Since the attacks, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has called out the crisis in prison safety.
Ms Cooper agreed that there is a crisis in our prisons, but stated it "was created by the Conservative government."
She said: "So the idea that we should take seriously anything that any of those former ministers say about the prison system that they left in total crisis, I mean, really damaging the situation that we've had to deal with in our prisons."
Ms Cooper called for accountability from the former Tory government ministers, adding: "But, you know, they really need to take some responsibility and start apologising for it."
It comes as it was revealed that Rudakubana's supervision was downgraded in the days before he allegedly hurled boiling water over a prison officer.
According to The Sun, Rudakubana's prison supervision was downgraded in recent weeks as he was previously in a healthcare unit being monitored round the clock.
Shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, said the alleged attack by Rudakubana was the “third astonishing security failure at a top security prison”.
In a post on X, Mr Jenrick said: “Warning after warning has been ignored."
“I personally raised security at HMP Belmarsh just last week," he continued in the post.
“This is a full blown crisis. No more lengthy ‘reviews’ – the Justice Secretary needs to act NOW.”
Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in 2024, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014.
In response to the rise in attacks, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood previously announced that the use of tasers will be trialled in prisons and confirmed the Prison Service will conduct a “snap review” of the use of protective body armour for prison officers.
