Overview

• Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says the draft law will treat planning non-ideological mass killings with the same severity as terrorism
• Under current legislation authorities cannot charge suspected mass attackers until after an incident unless a political or ideological motive is proven
• The bill’s provisions mirror terrorism offences by allowing preparatory acts such as research or reconnaissance to trigger pre-emptive arrest
• Ministers cite the Southport killings by Axel Rudakubana—who killed three girls at a dance class—as a case this reform would have covered
• The draft legislation now moves into formal Home Office drafting ahead of ministerial review and parliamentary debate later this year