The claim
A former chairman of the Conservative Party has claimed that the beginning of Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana’s trial was scheduled on the same day as Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration as “a calculated and cynical move by the Labour Government to ‘bury bad news’ behind international headlines”.
Rating
This is a false claim. The trial date is set by the courts, not the Government. The trial was scheduled months before Mr Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
Reviewed by PA Media ↗ ·
Original fact check ↗Sources and attribution
- [original] PA Media original review
Original review · Retrieved October 16, 2026