Key events
Closing summary
This blog is coming to a close. Here’s a roundup of this evening’s events:
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Forty-seven people were injured, including two critically, when a car ploughed into fans at Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade.
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Four children were among those hurt, including one child with serious injuries.
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The incident is not being treated as terror-related, authorities said.
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A 53-year-old white British man, who is believed to be the driver of the car, has been arrested. Police said they were not currently looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
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Fire crews said they removed three adults and a child who were trapped under a vehicle.
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Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital and 20 treated at the scene, the North West ambulance service said.
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Prime minister Keir Starmer said the scenes were appalling and thanked police and emergency services for their “swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident”.
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Home secretary Yvette Cooper called the incident “shocking and horrendous”.
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Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool city council, said the incident “has cast a very dark shadow of what had been a joyous day for the city and the finale to a fabulous bank holiday weekend”.
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Liverpool FC said it was in contact with police and “our thoughts and prayers are with those” affected.
Here is our full story:
More from witnesses here: people packed on to the street to watch the Liverpool FC parade were only alerted to the danger by screams from the crowd, one said.
The woman, who gave her name as Chelsea, told BBC Radio that enabled some people to jump out of the way as the driver showed no sign of slowing.
“With the commotion, that was the only reason we looked up, and thankfully, looked up and managed to jump out [of] the way in time,” she said.
Reuters also reports another witness as saying before the incident that there was disorder in the city centre where the parade was due to pass, with overcrowding and spectators confused by a lack of signage about street closures or where they should go.
Liverpool last won the trophy during the Covid pandemic when celebrations were not permitted due to lockdowns.
Politicians in Britain and in Ireland, where the club is popular, thanked emergency services. “My thoughts are with all those injured or affected,” Keir Starmer, the prime minister, said on X, calling the scenes appalling and saying he was being updated.
Liverpool FC said on X it was in direct contact with police:
Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.
Just to recap, with most people off work for the spring bank holiday, hundreds of thousands of fans had gathered to watch the Liverpool team and its staff travel through the city centre on an open-top bus with the Premier League trophy.
Videos on social media showed people thrown into the air as the car rammed into spectators, Reuters reports. When the car stopped, angry fans converged on it and began smashing the windows as police officers intervened to prevent them from reaching the driver.
In the aftermath, emergency services were seen carrying victims on stretchers to ambulances and debris scattered on the road.
The incident “cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day”, Liverpool city council leader Liam Robinson said on social media.
Police were unusually quick to give a description of the man they arrested. Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent in London’s Metropolitan Police, told the BBC this was an effort to cool social media speculation that the episode was an Islamist attack.
The same police force oversaw the response to the murder of three young girls in the nearby town of Southport last year, an incident which sparked days of rioting, sparked by speculation online over the identity of the attacker.
The former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell has expressed his solidarity with the people of Liverpool.
The independent MP posted on X:
It’s hard to put into words our feelings about the terrible events in Liverpool today. For a wonderful day of joy to be turned into one of horror is an absolute tragedy. All of those hurt are in my thoughts. As always Liverpool will stand together in solidarity. YNWA
The independent MP Apsana Begum has hailed Liverpudlians’ “exceptional strength” in times of adversity.
She tweeted that she was thinking of all those affected by what happened, also saying on X:
The people of Liverpool have always demonstrated exceptional strength and unity in times of adversity. We stand with you in solidarity.
Starmer says ‘whole country stands with Liverpool’
In fresh comments reported by Press Association, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said “the whole country stands with Liverpool”. He said:
Tonight, I have spoken to [Liverpool mayor] Steve Rotheram about the terrible events in Liverpool and the remarkable bravery shown by the police and other emergency services. They are supporting and caring for those injured in these terrible events.
Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror. The city has a long and proud history of coming together through difficult times.
Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool.”
Former Liverpool manager Sir Kenny Dalglish, who was at the parade, has said he is “shocked, horrified and deeply saddened about what happened at the end of the parade today.”
In a post on X he said:
Our anthem has never felt more appropriate, You’ll never walk alone. Your Liverpool family are behind you.
Everton, Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals, have said “Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this serious incident in our city.”
Paddy Edrich, a reporter with the Liverpool Echo, has shared this image of the aftermath:
A final look at Water Street after an unimaginably horrifying end to what was until then a perfect celebration. We’ll be back at the scene early tomorrow morning to bring you more updates. pic.twitter.com/hs9WhZlVsv
— Paddy Edrich (@PaddyEdrichECHO) May 26, 2025
Andy Hunter
Andy Hunter, our Merseyside football correspondent, has written about how a day of celebration turned into one of horror.
The Strand had been a scene of sheer euphoria 25 minutes earlier.
At 5.41pm the open-top bus parading the Liverpool team had passed by the Royal Liver Building and a huge crowd broke into a powerful rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone to celebrate the new Premier League champions.
Fireworks and ticker-tape exploded overhead. From an apartment on Mann Island, former Liverpool managers Jürgen Klopp and Sir Kenny Dalglish waved to jubilant supporters below.
Just after 6pm, on nearby Water Street, the scene was one of devastation. A car, driven by a 53-year-old white British male from the Liverpool area, collided with a number of pedestrians including four children.
Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital, with two sustaining serious injuries, including one of the children.
Another 20 were treated for minor injuries at the scene and others self-presented at hospitals on Merseyside later in the day.
Ambulances were parked outside Liverpool town hall over three hours later.
Approximately 20 to 30 casualties were being treated in the Riva Italian restaurant across the road.
One man from Birmingham, who asked not to be named, had been treated for back and leg injuries having been knocked over in the incident.
Josh Halliday
Our north of England editor, Josh Halliday, was at the press conference tonight, here is his write-up:
Four children were injured, including one critically, when a car ploughed into fans at a Liverpool football victory parade in an incident not being treated as terror-related, authorities said.
One of the children suffered “major injuries” in the “horrific” collision that caused dozens of casualties just after 6pm on Monday.
At a press conference in the Cunard building in Liverpool on Monday might, North West ambulance service (NWAS) said 27 patients were taken to hospitals around the city – including two who sustained major injuries. One of those is a child.
NWAS said 20 other people were treated for injuries at the scene and that other people were still arriving at hospital seeking treatment.
Jenny Sims, the assistant chief constable of Merseyside police, urged people not to share misinformation about the incident and said it was not being treated as terror-related.
She said: “What I can tell you is that we believe this to be an isolated incident and we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”
The press conference has come to an end. Simms said the incident is not being treated as terrorism and that police are not currently looking for anybody else in relation to it.
Kitchen said four of the people injured were children. He said 20 people were treated for minor injuries at the scene and 27 were taken to hospital.
Two of them, including one child, are thought to have sustained serious injuries.
No fatalities have been reported.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has also commented on the incident.
He ended a post on X with the line: “The public deserve to know the full facts as quickly as possible”, which has drawn some ire.
Khayer Chowdhury, a Labour councillor in Redbridge, east London replied: “A disgusting tweet from a nasty party that is now rightfully heading straight into history’s dustbin. Have some self-respect and dignity you opportunistic, rancid idiot.”
My thoughts are with the victims, Liverpool fans and the people of that great City this evening
The appalling footage depicts a car being driven into fans as they celebrated Liverpool’s Premier League win
The public deserve to know the full facts as quickly as possible https://t.co/ie4IpiAH6b
— Chris Philp MP (@CPhilpOfficial) May 26, 2025
Earlier this evening, Merseyside police and crime commissioner, Emily Spurrell, urged people not to speculate about the incident.
23 minutes after Philp’s tweet, Merseyside police released more information about the incident, including confirming that “the man arrested is a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area”.
Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool city council is now speaking. He said: “I’d like to start by saying, on behalf of everyone here in Liverpool, how much our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this appalling incident in the city center.
“Today has cast a very dark shadow of what had been a joyous day for the city and the finale to a fabulous bank holiday weekend. I’d particularly like to pay tribute to the emergency services who responded to help those who were hurt, and to our NHS staff treating them in hospital.
“We are working very closely with Merseyside police to support their investigation and with other relevant organisations to make sure those affected get the appropriate support.
“I would appeal for people please do not share the horrifying footage of the incident on social media. If you have any information, forward it to Merseyside police to help them with their investigation. We won’t be commenting any further, but we will provide relevant updates as and when we know more and it’s appropriate to do so.”
