Liverpool parade latest: Nearly 50 injured in car ramming; speculation over driver 'caused real consternation'

Football world reacts to incident

Football clubs and figures from across the game have reacted to yesterday's incident, offering condolences and support to Liverpool.

Liverpool FC said it was in direct contact with Merseyside Police about the incident, adding its thoughts and prayers are with those affected.

On the blue side of Merseyside, Everton FC said: "Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this serious incident in our city."

Manchester United also posted on social media, saying: "Our thoughts are with Liverpool FC and the city of Liverpool after today's awful incident."

Liverpool's former captain Steven Gerrard posted an image on Instagram of the city with a red heart, while former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher wrote on X: "Devastating end to the day... just pray everyone is ok."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said "football stands together with Liverpool FC" and its fans, offering "thoughts and prayers to all those affected".

A Premier League statement said: "Everyone at the Premier League is shocked by the appalling events in Liverpool this evening, and our heartfelt thoughts go out to all those injured and affected.

"We have been in contact with Liverpool FC and have offered our full support following this serious incident."

'The city will come back stronger'

Ian Byrne, Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, has just been speaking to Sky News about yesterday's incident.

He was there to witness Liverpool's trophy parade and tells chief North of England correspondent Greg Milam that the city will "do what it always does" and "come back stronger".

"We'll make sure that everybody's okay, and then we'll have to get up and dust ourselves off, reflect on what's happened," he says.

"It's a difficult question to answer, but the city will do what it always does, come back stronger."

Police 'fantastic' in face of 'false narratives', Liverpool mayor says

Liverpool's mayor has praised the work of Merseyside Police for operating quickly in the face of "false narratives".

Speaking to chief North of England correspondent Greg Milam on Sky News, Steve Rotheram said the force deserved credit for attempting to extinguish rumours and disinformation spreading online about the incident.

"There was a lot of footage that was posted in the immediacy of what has happened, literally within minutes," he said.

"And of course, that sets a lot of false narratives. And we all know that speculation and social media are a wildfire of different vantages, and some of it is for nefarious reasons. 

"So it was right that the police reacted as quickly as they did to dampen down some of the types of posts that we were witnessing."

Questions about parade can wait

Rotheram added that while he understood there were questions the public wants to be answered about the incident, the police must be given time to conclude their investigation first.

Many have asked how a car was able to reach crowds of supporters in the first place.

"There was a very robust plan," he says. "And this isn't something that just happened in the last few days. This was being planned for weeks and weeks and weeks."

Rotheram said the police would release a statement "when they believe the time is right", which will include how the vehicle ended up on Water Street "when vehicles shouldn't have been in that area at all".

LeBron James slams 'senseless act'

Basketball superstar LeBron James has expressed his shock and horror at the incident.

The LA Lakers star, 40, is a minor partner of Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool FC.

Posting on X, James called the incident a "senseless act".

"My deepest thoughts and prayers goes out to everyone affected that attended," he added.

Badenoch: Car ramming is 'heinous crime'

Kemi Badenoch says the incident is "sickening" and amounts to a "heinous crime" whether it's classed as a terrorist incident or not.

"Those who target joyful celebrations and our happiest moments, who care not for the welfare of little children, are beneath contempt," the Tory leader said on X.

"A stark contrast to the people of Liverpool who responded with extraordinary compassion, offering lifts, shelter, food and more. 

"Liverpool stood firm, displaying kindness and decency in the face of horror."

Police learnt from Southport killings and avoided misinformation cauldron

Merseyside Police knows - better than any force, perhaps - that in a social media age, an information vacuum can become a misinformation cauldron.

They've learnt from the aftermath of the Southport stabbing attack, when the force was criticised for being too slow to release information that could have calmed the riots that followed - which were fuelled by online speculation that the suspect was an immigrant.

So it feels like things have been done differently this time.

The incident happened just after 6pm yesterday. Videos - captured by fans on their phones - were online within moments. Shared and speculated upon, with guesses as to the attacker's identity and motive.

But alongside the huge and immediate police investigation, the communication machine moved equally fast.

Within a few hours, police released a description of the man they'd arrested: a 53-year-old white, British man from the Liverpool area.

A few hours after that, we had an extensive news conference, during which police ruled out terrorism as a motive.

Again, they appealed for videos not to be shared online and for people not to speculate.

And all the while, the police investigation continues.

In central Liverpool, Water Street is cordoned off with police officers and vehicles in place.

Flags, sprays of paint, flares and empty bottles still cover the road. Whereas they've been cleared elsewhere along the parade route, here they remain. Chilling symbols of the party, that within moments became a scene of utter horror. 

Victim thrown 'about 20ft' in air by car

A witness to the incident says the first person hit by the car was thrown "about 20ft" into the air.

Les Winsper, 55, told The Guardian that people smashed the car's windows, at which point the driver "panicked and put his foot down".

"He then hit someone and that person has gone in the air and he's ploughed through the rest of them. I’ve never seen anything like it."

-SKY NEWS