A distrust of the police, curiosity, and the “thrill of the moment” were some of the reasons behind young people joining in last summer’s riots, research has suggested.

The involvement of some children was “spontaneous and unconsidered” and had less to do with online misinformation, the Children’s Commissioner said in a new report.

Dame Rachel de Souza’s office spoke to around a fifth of the children charged over the trouble which broke out in the aftermath of the murders of three young girls in Southport.

Axel Rudakubana was handed a 52-year sentence last week for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, as well as the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults, at a dance class last July.

In the days following the stabbings, a number of false claims circulated on social media about the attack – including a false name and incorrect claims that the attacker was a recently arrived asylum seeker – with some of that misinformation believed to have fuelled rioting in various parts of England.

Regarding the actions of children, Dame Rachel said her office’s interviews with 14 of the under-18s charged in relation to the disorder found a number of issues.

In the report, she said: “What emerged from the conversations I had with the young people themselves was striking, and often unsettling.

“Many children described making a split-second decision, their involvement being largely spontaneous and unconsidered, driven by curiosity or the thrill of the moment to see what was going on in their community.

“Others described a deep distrust of the police and the opportunity to retaliate against a previous interaction.

“What these conversations do not support is the prevailing narrative that emerged from the riots which was subsequently accepted: that online misinformation, racism or other right-wing influences were to blame for why young people were enticed to join in the aggression.

“While there is no doubt these issues all played a role, they did not drive the children’s actions – they did not come up as the only significant factors in any of the conversations with the children who were charged.”

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Of the 14 children spoken to towards the end of last year by the commissioner’s office, many had no previous experience with the criminal justice system.

All “made it clear that they did not get involved due to far-right, anti-immigration or racist views”, the report said.

Ed Miliband has said the expansion of Heathrow and other airports “won’t go ahead” if they don’t meet the UK’s emissions targets – putting him on a potential collision course with Rachel Reeves.

The chancellor has not commented directly on whether she would support a third runway at Heathrow, but she has indicated she would be prepared to overrule environmental objections to allow the project to go ahead.

Ms Reeves has been emphasising that growth is the UK’s number one priority and is expected to use a speech on Wednesday to support the expansion, as well as similar plans for Gatwick and Luton.

But appearing in front of the Commons Environmental Audit Committee, Mr Miliband – the cabinet minister responsible for pushing forward the government’s net zero agenda – struck a different tone to the chancellor.

He told MPs that any aviation expansion must take place within the UK’s carbon budgets, including the 2050 target to reduce emissions by 100% compared with 1990 levels.

Independent advisers on the government’s Climate Change Committee (CC) have called for no net airport expansion without a proper national plan to curb emissions from the aviation sector and manage passenger capacity.

The CCC is publishing its next carbon budget – the legal limit for UK net emissions of greenhouse gases from 2038 to 2042 – on 26 February.

The energy secretary did not say whether a potential third runway could be approved before that.

Mr Miliband, who has been a vocal opponent of Heathrow expansion in the past, told MPs: “I just want to sort of provide this element of reassurance to you, which is 100% any aviation expansion must be justified within carbon budgets, and if it can’t be justified, it won’t go ahead.”

His comments put him at odds with Ms Reeves, who told Sky News at the World Economic Forum in Davos, that she would back infrastructure projects even where they are unpopular.

Asked directly if she would now put the runway, along with expansion at Gatwick and Luton ahead of the UK’s net zero commitments, Ms Reeves said: “I’m not going to comment on speculation, but what I would say is when the last government faced difficult decisions about whether to support infrastructure investment, the answer always seemed to be no.

“We can’t carry on like that, because if we do, we will miss out on crucial investment here into Britain. You’ve already seen a number of decisions, including on Stansted and City Airport, on energy projects, on transport infrastructure, because we are determined to grow the economy.”

On Monday evening Ms Reeves addressed a meeting of the Labour Parliamentary Party (PLP) to push the case for growth – but did not mention Heathrow specifically.

She told Labour MPs her speech on Wednesday would be about “economic growth built on the platform of stability”, adding there were “no easy routes out”.

She said: “There are always reasons for government to say no.

“Over the past six months as chancellor, my experience is that government has become used to saying no. That must change. We must start saying yes.”

A spokesman for the chancellor said there had been “overwhelming support” for her as she addressed the PLP and that Ruth Cadbury, the chair of the Transport Select Committee, was the only dissenting voice.

They said Ms Reeves declined to comment on speculation about an announcement regarding the runway.

He said: “There was overwhelming support for what Rachel had to say, overwhelming support for the need to build infrastructure, overwhelming support for the government’s agenda to reform the planning system.”

Last week Mr Miliband ruled out resigning from the government if it gives the third runway the go-ahead.

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Heathrow has not yet submitted a full application for a third runway – something it has been pushing for several years.

Despite construction receiving parliamentary approval in 2018, the plans have been delayed by legal challenges and the coronavirus pandemic.

One Labour MP in London told Sky News they would only support Heathrow expansion if it met the tests Labour outlined in its manifesto around air quality, noise pollution, climate change obligations and countrywide benefits.

“Heathrow have to put their money where their mouth is and present the evidence,” they said.

David Coote has revealed he turned to drugs because he feared coming out as gay while working as a Premier League referee in his first interview since being sacked.

The 42-year-old was fired in December by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after a video emerged of him appearing to make derogatory remarks about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp.

In an interview with The Sun, he talked about the challenges of his work schedule, the abuse he received as a referee and his “struggles dealing with hiding” his sexuality.

“I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video,” he said. “I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position – escaping.”

He said: “I felt a deep sense of shame during my teenage years in particular.

“I didn’t come out to my parents until I was 21. I didn’t come out to my friends until I was 25.

“My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that.

“I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well – a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being.

“And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.”

In a statement to Sky News, Coote said: “This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions, which fell way below what was expected of me.

“I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight it put on the game that I love.

“I hope people will understand that they were private moments taken during very low times in my life. They do not reflect who I am today or what I think.

“My focus now is on continuing to prioritise my mental health and wellbeing. I hope that my experiences, both on and off the field, can be utilised in football at some point in the future.”

Coote went on to thank those who have supported him.

In November, the Football Association launched a separate investigation into allegations Coote discussed giving a yellow card ahead of a Leeds match in 2019. Coote refutes the allegations.