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London attack: Theresa May defends her record on police funding – latest London attack: Theresa May defends her record on police funding – latest updates
(35 minutes later)
12.05pm BST
12:05
Jeremy Corbyn has said Theresa May should resign because of her record on police funding, ITV’s Rachel Younger reports.
BREAKING: @jeremycorbyn tells me Theresa May should resign as Prime Minister over her record regarding police funding
12.03pm BST
12:03
Rajeev Syal
The Muslim-born owner of Borough Market’s largest restaurant has spoken of his concerns over community relations at the market following Saturday’s terror attacks which killed seven people.
Iqbal Wahhab, the founder of Roast, said there could be change of attitude towards Muslims within wider society and within the market’s community of traders and workers following the latest attack.
“How people respond will take a few more days to unravel. Borough Market is an incredibly tight knit community - we are all there with a common purpose and a common cause.
“I hope this won’t break the resolve of people to stay united. There will be people who, whether they articulate it or not, will feel resentful towards people whose religion has been used to justify these terrible attacks. It’s understandable,” he told the Guardian.
Roast, a first floor British restaurant overlooking the covered market, is yards from where two of the three alleged terrorists were shot and killed after terrorising thousands of people drinking and eating near London Bridge in south London.
During the incident, dozens of people took shelter in the restaurant as events unfolded below them. Reports claimed that the assailants were at one point seen attacking someone outside Roast’s entrance.
Wahhab, who chaired the the government’s ethnic minority employment group for nine years, employs at least ten Muslims out of 100 members of staff at the restaurant. He was away from the restaurant when the incident happened but has since spoken to members of staff about the attacks.
“In the general spirit of how Borough Market works, people came together during the attack. It is such a busy area - on the weekend’s especially. It is clearly an obvious target,” he said.
Wahhab, 53, was born in Bangladesh and is also an adviser to the anti-extremist pressure group the Quilliam Foundation. He said he naturally agrees with exploring new measures to combat extremism but is sceptical that longer sentences, such as proposed by Theresa May, will help.
“I don’t know about tougher sentences - if you are a suicidal bomber or attacker, longer sentences won’t deter you,” he said.
The government should rely less upon religious leaders and really try to bring integrated Muslims on board, people who live their lives in a contented manner who say there is scope to prosper in the West. We should actively engage Muslim professionals instead of professional Muslims.”
Tens of thousands of food lovers are drawn every weekend to the market, which traces its history at least to the 13th century but may date as far back as Roman times. Originally based at the southern side of London bridge, its 100 or so stalls now occupy a network of railway viaducts near the Thames in Southwark.
There are more than 100 traders, who run restaurants, bars, wholesalers of staple British fare and high quality “delicatessen” retailers.
11.58am BST
11:58
Q: Why would Nicola Sturgeon not have a mandate for a second independence referendum after the election?
May says now is not the time for a second independence referendum.
Q: We have had three terror attacks this year. Do you regard that as a government failure, and an indictment of your record?
May says we have had three attacks. But five attacks have been foiled.
As the terror threat evolves, the government’s response must change, she says.
Q: Do you accept that, if the UK wants to remain part of some EU justice and home affairs mechanism, like the Schengen information system, the UK will have to remain under the jurisdiction of the European court of justice?
May says the government will want to keep some of these measures. There will have to be oversight. But she says the jurisdiction of the ECJ over UK law will end.
Q: Corbyn says he will give the police new resources. Can you match that?
May says people should look at Corbyn’s record. He has always opposed giving the police new powers.
Q: President Trump mocked Sadiq Khan. Would a period of silence from him be welcome?
May praises Khan for his response to the London Bridge attack. She does not mention Trump.
Q: How many seats do you need to win to justify calling the election?
May says she never predicts election results.
Q: Why did you accuse the police of crying wolf when they opposed police cuts?
May says that is a reference to a speech she gave saying the Police Federation should reform. They did reform.
Q: Steve Hilton has criticised your record on police cuts. What is your response?
May says she is not the only person to have been criticised by Hilton.
Q: What would Trump have to say for you to criticise him?
May says she has said she disagreed with him over climate change.
Q: But what about Sadiq Khan?
May says it is wrong to say Khan has not been doing a good job.
Q: Will you hold a sweeping reshuffle after the election?
May refuses to answer.
And that’s it. The Q&A is over.
Updated
at 12.02pm BST
11.54am BST
11:54
Here’s a guide to the properties raided so far
11.49am BST
11:49
Harriet Sherwood
Religious leaders must take responsibility for tackling actions taken in the name of faith, Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, has said.
“Throughout history religious tradition, scriptures have been twisted and misused by people” to justify violence, Welby told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added that the behaviour of religious leaders sometime permitted and encouraged that.
“If something is happening in our faith tradition, we have to take responsibility for being very clear in countering it.”
To say that acts such as the London Bridge attack had nothing to do with Islam “is not getting us anywhere”, he said while stressing that Muslim leaders and organisations had been quick to issue statements of condemnation.
It was “like saying Srebrenica had nothing to do with Christianity”, he said, referring to the massacre of 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in July 1995.
Welby added: “One of the problems in this country is a … lack of religious literacy.” The authorities tackling terrorism “often don’t understand the very basic doctrines of the faith they’re dealing with…
“They are often people who are unable to put themselves in the shoes of religious believers and understand a way of looking at the world that says that this defines your whole life, every single aspect of who you are and what you are.”
There was fundamental problem with cohesion in the UK, Welby said. “An extraordinary majority of Muslims and everyone else have a single view of what kind of country they want to live in.
“If we attack or persecute or go against a particular group of people on the grounds of their faith alone, rather than what they want to do or the arguments they’re putting forward of violence and terror, the terrorists will give three cheers, and say: ‘Thank you, you’ve done our work for us.’
“Every time a Muslim is abused on a bus or a mosque is attacked, the terrorists have taken another step forward.”
Updated
at 11.53am BST
11.49am BST
11:49
Q: Do you accept that you were wrong to accuse those who criticised the police cuts of “crying wolf”. Do you accept that that was wrong, and would you reverse police cuts?
May says she has already addressed this. She repeats the points made earlier. See 11.18am.
Q: [From the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg] On your watch the number of police officers and armed police officers fell, and control orders were abandoned. Will you reverse those decisions?
May says control orders were being knocked down in the courts. The government has given more powers to the police, she says.
She says an extra 1,500 armed officers are being hired. But it is not just about resources; it is about powers.
She repeats the point about supporting shoot-to-kill.
Q: You had a public row with Michael Gove in 2014, when he criticised you for not being willing to “drain the swamp” in relation to violent extremism. He said you just wanted to beat back the crocodiles.
May says she has always wanted to tackle extremism, not just violent extremism.
But the government has to respond to the changing threat, she says. That is why she wants further measures on this.
Q: Will you bring back control orders?
May says Tpims, which replaced control orders, have been enhanced.
And the government has given the police new powers, for example in relation to stopping terror suspects travelling abroad.
Q; Do you regret cutting community policy budgets?
May repeats the point about Labour backing police cuts in 2015. See 11.18am.
Q: We have seen headlines saying the UK is “reeling” in foreign papers. Is that right?
No, says May. She says we have seen the resolute British spirit.
Q: What is your view of Sadiq Khan, and what foreign leaders (ie, Donald Trump) are saying about him?
May says Khan is doing an “excellent job”.
Updated
at 11.52am BST
11.46am BST
11:46
What we know so far
The terrorist threat level remains at severe as police continue to raid properties in east London in connection with Saturday’s attack which left seven people dead and 21 people in a critical condition. The identities of three suspect attackers, who shot dead in Borough Market, will be released as soon as operationally possible, according to police.
Isis has claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack, although this has not been verified and details of the claim were sketchy. In a statement published late on Sunday by the Amaq news agency, which usually carries its claims, it said: “A detachment of Islamic State fighters executed yesterday’s London attack.
An Irish identity card was reportedly found on one of the three attackers. Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said that there was “an international dimension” to the changing terrorist threat facing the UK, but the majority of recent attacks and plots have been domestic in focus.
Eleven people remain in custody as police continue to search property in east London. One man was seen being led away as police continue to search a property in Dagenham, east London. Police also searched properties in Newham and Barking after early morning raids on Monday.
The first known victim of the attack was named as Christine Archibald from Castlegar, Canada. In a statement, her family said: “We grieve the loss of our beautiful, loving daughter and sister. She had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected.”
A French man was also among those killed, according to the French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian. A 39-year-old Spanish man is among those missing.
Four police officers were injured in the attack, including two on-duty Metropolitan officers. One of those injured was a British Transport officer, who was stabbed in the head as he he tried to foil the attack. Another was an off-duty Met officer, who remains in hospital in a serious condition.
Questions have been asked about how much police and the intelligence services knew about the three men who carried out the attack. One neighbour told the Guardian she had reported the man to police two years ago after fears he was attempting to radicalise children.
Police cordons around London Bridge railway station were lifted earlier than planned. The bridge itself was open to traffic and pedestrians. New barriers have been erected on Westminster bridge to separate pedestrians from vehicles.
11.41am BST
11:41
May's Q&A
Theresa May is now taking questions.
Q: Cressida Dick said this morning we had to look at the case for more police officers. Do you agree, and were you wrong to cut numbers.
May reply is almost word for word the same as it was when she was asked this earlier. See 11.18am.
May says she supports “absolutely” shoot to kill. We saw how important that was on Saturday night, she said.
(Corbyn has had to clarify his stance on this, but insisted last night he did support the use of lethal force in these circumstances.)
Updated
at 11.43am BST
11.37am BST
11:37
May says she is speaking in the same room in central London where she launched her leadership campaign last summer.
She said at the time that it was not the time for a prime minister who would have to learn on the job. That is even more true now, she says.
The election will be about who can provide the best leadership for Britain.
And that’s it. May has finished her speech.
Updated
at 11.42am BST
11.35am BST
11:35
Theresa May is still speaking.
She says Corbyn would throw away all the work the government has done on Brexit. He would tear up the government’s white paper, and we do not know if he would try to stay in the customs union, she says.
And she says he would accept any deal from the EU, however bad it was.
The bureaucrats in Brussels would assume Christmas had come early if he adopted this approach, she says.
May turns to the economy. She wants a strong economy, but that is not the limit of her ambition, she says. She says she wants an economy that works for everyone.
Punishing businesses with higher taxes is not leadership but an abdication of leadership, she says. She says it would be bad for the economy.
And Labour would raise the tax burden, she says, citing the IFS analysis. She says a Conservative government would keep taxes low.
Turning to security, she says Corbyn is opposed to Trident, has boasted of opposing terror laws and opposes shoot-to-kill (a claim Corbyn sought to refute in his speech last night.)
She says, as the threat from Islamism evolves, we must do more to confront it.
She is now echoing much of what she said in her Number 10 statement yesterday.
Updated
at 11.41am BST
11.34am BST
11:34
One of the attackers had Irish identity card
Police in Ireland are holding a special security meeting after it emerged that one of the London attackers lived in Ireland for a time, the Irish broadcaster RTE reports.
Gardaí have confirmed that an Irish identity card was found on one of the three attackers shot dead by police in London.
He was not however known to the gardaí here and did not come to their attention in relation to any crime or security issues.
The man is believed to have been of Moroccan origin and officers at the Garda National Immigration Bureau are checking records to establish his residency and marital status while he was living here.
It is believed the Moroccan man was married to a woman from Scotland and lived in Dublin while in Ireland.
Gardaí are working closely with the British security and intelligence agencies in relation to their investigation.
11.21am BST11.21am BST
11:2111:21
Theresa May's speechTheresa May's speech
Theresa May is delivering a speech now.Theresa May is delivering a speech now.
She says that our democratic way of life must go on after the London Bridge terror attacks, and so she will return to the theme of the choice facing voters.She says that our democratic way of life must go on after the London Bridge terror attacks, and so she will return to the theme of the choice facing voters.
She says it is a question of leadership. Leadership is about being straight with people and being able to get the job done. She says she offers strong and stable leadership.She says it is a question of leadership. Leadership is about being straight with people and being able to get the job done. She says she offers strong and stable leadership.
And everything we want as a country depends on getting the Brexit negotiations right, she says.And everything we want as a country depends on getting the Brexit negotiations right, she says.
Theresa May: "Our way of life and democratic process must go on"GE2017 pic.twitter.com/CfjIEo1GeUTheresa May: "Our way of life and democratic process must go on"GE2017 pic.twitter.com/CfjIEo1GeU
11.18am BST11.18am BST
11:1811:18
May dismisses claims police are underfundedMay dismisses claims police are underfunded
Cressida Dick, the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, has given at least two interviews this morning. Asked about police cuts, she said that “any police leader would always want more resources” but that, ahead of the election, she did not want to get into a political argument about this.Cressida Dick, the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, has given at least two interviews this morning. Asked about police cuts, she said that “any police leader would always want more resources” but that, ahead of the election, she did not want to get into a political argument about this.
In the clip recorded for broadcasters, the reporter mentioned Dick’s comments and then asked Theresa May if she regretted presiding over cuts that saw police numbers fall by 20,000. May replied:In the clip recorded for broadcasters, the reporter mentioned Dick’s comments and then asked Theresa May if she regretted presiding over cuts that saw police numbers fall by 20,000. May replied:
The commissioner of the Metropolitan police has said that the Met is well resourced, and they are, and that they have very powerful counter-terrorism capabilities, and they do. We have protected counter-terrorism policing budgets. We have also provided funding for an increase in the number of armed police officers. Since 2015 we have protected overall police budgets, and that’s despite the fact that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party in the House of Commons suggested that police budgets could be cut.The commissioner of the Metropolitan police has said that the Met is well resourced, and they are, and that they have very powerful counter-terrorism capabilities, and they do. We have protected counter-terrorism policing budgets. We have also provided funding for an increase in the number of armed police officers. Since 2015 we have protected overall police budgets, and that’s despite the fact that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party in the House of Commons suggested that police budgets could be cut.
But it’s also about the powers that we give to the police. We have given increased powers to the police to be able to deal with terrorists, powers which Jeremy Corbyn has boasted he has always opposed.But it’s also about the powers that we give to the police. We have given increased powers to the police to be able to deal with terrorists, powers which Jeremy Corbyn has boasted he has always opposed.
May dismissed claims that the police are underfunded. She said that counter-terrorism budgets had been protected, that overall police budgets have been protected since 2015 and that the number of armed officers is increasing.May dismissed claims that the police are underfunded. She said that counter-terrorism budgets had been protected, that overall police budgets have been protected since 2015 and that the number of armed officers is increasing.
She claimed that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn supported police cuts.She claimed that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn supported police cuts.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party in the House of Commons suggested that police budgets could be cut.Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party in the House of Commons suggested that police budgets could be cut.
The Tories justify this claim by citing something Andy Burnham, then shadow home secretary, said in a speech 30 September 2015, shortly after Corbyn became Labour leader. Burnham said: “Of course, savings can be found. The police say 5% to 10% over the parliament is just about do-able.” But now the Labour party is going into the election with a manifesto proposing hiring 10,000 more police officers.The Tories justify this claim by citing something Andy Burnham, then shadow home secretary, said in a speech 30 September 2015, shortly after Corbyn became Labour leader. Burnham said: “Of course, savings can be found. The police say 5% to 10% over the parliament is just about do-able.” But now the Labour party is going into the election with a manifesto proposing hiring 10,000 more police officers.
She claimed Corbyn had always opposed anti-terror legislation.She claimed Corbyn had always opposed anti-terror legislation.
We have given increased powers to the police to be able to deal with terrorists, powers which Jeremy Corbyn has boasted he has always opposed.We have given increased powers to the police to be able to deal with terrorists, powers which Jeremy Corbyn has boasted he has always opposed.
This is a reference to Corbyn saying in 2011: “I’ve been involved in opposing anti-terror legislation ever since I first went into parliament in 1983.”This is a reference to Corbyn saying in 2011: “I’ve been involved in opposing anti-terror legislation ever since I first went into parliament in 1983.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.27am BSTat 11.27am BST
11.13am BST11.13am BST
11:1311:13
Hospitals have increased security measures in the aftermath of the terror attack.Hospitals have increased security measures in the aftermath of the terror attack.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust – which runs Guy’s hospital, situated in London Bridge and nearby St Thomas’ hospital – said it was operating “with enhanced security”.Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust – which runs Guy’s hospital, situated in London Bridge and nearby St Thomas’ hospital – said it was operating “with enhanced security”.
Our services are running as usual today but we have enhanced security. Please bring appointment letters and ID, if possible. pic.twitter.com/oHvD0kRu5vOur services are running as usual today but we have enhanced security. Please bring appointment letters and ID, if possible. pic.twitter.com/oHvD0kRu5v
Patients attending appointments at Guy’s or St Thomas’ hospitals were also reminded to bring photo identification with them to appointments.Patients attending appointments at Guy’s or St Thomas’ hospitals were also reminded to bring photo identification with them to appointments.
In a statement on its website, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust said: “We are operating with enhanced security, but services are running as normal. Please attend appointments as planned, but bring your appointment letter and photo ID. Allow more time to travel.”In a statement on its website, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust said: “We are operating with enhanced security, but services are running as normal. Please attend appointments as planned, but bring your appointment letter and photo ID. Allow more time to travel.”
The NHS trust was one of five across the capital which treated victims of the attack. Nine patients were taken to the emergency department of St Thomas’ hospital – which is situated on the south side of Westminster Bridge, where another terror attack took place in March.The NHS trust was one of five across the capital which treated victims of the attack. Nine patients were taken to the emergency department of St Thomas’ hospital – which is situated on the south side of Westminster Bridge, where another terror attack took place in March.
Meanwhile, Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust urged patients and visitors to be vigilant.Meanwhile, Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust urged patients and visitors to be vigilant.
In a statement on its website, the trust said: “Following the incidents at London Bridge and Borough Market, our own security team will be stepping up their presence on our campuses.In a statement on its website, the trust said: “Following the incidents at London Bridge and Borough Market, our own security team will be stepping up their presence on our campuses.
“Although there is no reason to suspect any specific threat to our institution or other universities, due to the nature of our openness and accessibility we would urge everyone to remain vigilant and to immediately report anything suspicious to security.”“Although there is no reason to suspect any specific threat to our institution or other universities, due to the nature of our openness and accessibility we would urge everyone to remain vigilant and to immediately report anything suspicious to security.”
One victim was taken to St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, which is run by Imperial.One victim was taken to St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, which is run by Imperial.
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.16am BSTat 11.16am BST
10.54am BST10.54am BST
10:5410:54
May defends her record over police fundingMay defends her record over police funding
Theresa May has recorded a clip for broadcasters which has just been shown on Sky and BBC News.Theresa May has recorded a clip for broadcasters which has just been shown on Sky and BBC News.
She says the police have identified all the attackers. She says 11 people are in custody.She says the police have identified all the attackers. She says 11 people are in custody.
The threat level remains at severe, she says.The threat level remains at severe, she says.
The police are working to establish the identity of all of those killed, she says.The police are working to establish the identity of all of those killed, she says.
The victims were from different countries. This was an attack not just on London and the UK, but on the free world, she says.The victims were from different countries. This was an attack not just on London and the UK, but on the free world, she says.
She says the heroism of the police and the emergency services was extraordinary.She says the heroism of the police and the emergency services was extraordinary.
Q: Cressida Dick, the Met police commissioner, has said it would be appropriate to look at police resources. Do you regret cutting police numbers?Q: Cressida Dick, the Met police commissioner, has said it would be appropriate to look at police resources. Do you regret cutting police numbers?
May says Dick has said she has the resources she needs.May says Dick has said she has the resources she needs.
She says the government has protected police spending since 2015.She says the government has protected police spending since 2015.
Labour opposed extra spending on the police, she says.Labour opposed extra spending on the police, she says.
And she says Jeremy Corbyn has opposed giving new powers to the police.And she says Jeremy Corbyn has opposed giving new powers to the police.
May defends her record over police funding.May defends her record over police funding.
We’ll post the full quotes shortly.We’ll post the full quotes shortly.
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.59am BSTat 10.59am BST
10.51am BST
10:51
Man led away in Dagenham
Lisa O'Carroll
A man emerged from the yellow house raided by police in Dagenham under a blanket a short while ago pic.twitter.com/MmsStLzl9b
A man emerged under a blanket from a Dagenham house raided by police in connection with the London terror attack at about 10.15am. He was holding a blanket to his head with one hand over his face and the other at this waist.
It was a confused situation 12 hours after police first arrived on the scene. The shabby yellow painted house used to be a swingers’ and cross-dressers’ club, locals have confirmed.
“You’d see cross-dressers and all sorts down there,” said Dean Sandford, operations manager at the garage next door. The club was called The Little Yellow House. “It closed down about a year ago and we never saw anyone going in or out since,” he added. “We thought it was just disused.”
The semi-detached house stands beside a tyre shop alone in a busy industrial estate.
The police first turned up at 10pm last night but burst into the property shortly after 5am on Monday, another business owner, who did not want to be named, said. Inside the door, there appeared to be a presence of residents with a Henry Hoover near the staircase and four or five jackets hanging on a wall rack.
The police declined to comment on the ongoing operation.
Heavy police presence at Dagenham. Ongoing search at shabby house right next to A13 pic.twitter.com/2VUpBpMdNf
Updated
at 11.27am BST
10.46am BST
10:46
One of the two addresses raided by police on Monday is on Caledon Road in Newham, according to PA.
A police van is parked in the middle of the road and the street of terraced houses is cordoned off at both ends.
A woman called Sonia said police raided the house next to the one she lives in at 4am.
She said she was woken up with noise and could hear shouts of: “On the floor, on the floor, on the floor.” coming from the property next door.
“And after, people screaming scared, and boom boom boom,” she said, adding that she could hear an explosion and four or five gunshots. The noise was so loud and she and her housemates thought it was taking place in their house.
“We were very scared,” she said, adding that glass was smashed at the front of her house. She said she believed the people who live in the house were Muslim, adding that it was a family with two sons.
The whole family was taken away by police after about an hour, she said. Men in blue forensic suits could be seen walking along the street from the house.
Vijy Temcykumar also lives on the street and said she heard a “blast” followed by a “shooting sound”, adding that she heard three or four shots. “My son was crying a lot,” she said.
Mohamed Ozhuparambil lives on the street and said he thought a Bangladeshi family lived at the house raided by police.
He said three men, including a man over 65, and three women, including a teenager, were taken away in a police van. He said he heard a “bomb blasting” sound.
Another resident on the street, Ahmed Jableo, said he heard a “massive bang like a big bomb blast shooting noise”.
Updated
at 10.51am BST
10.40am BST
10:40
Haroon Siddique
Questions have been asked about how much police and the intelligence services knew about the three men who carried out the attack.
One of the suspects was reported to the police two years ago over extremist views.
The same suspect is reported to have watched YouTube clips of the hate preacher Ahmad Musa Jibril.
He is also reported to have appeared in a Channel 4 documentary about British jihadis.
He was caught on camera being involved in an altercation with police after an Isis flag was unfurled in London’s Regent’s Park, according to the Daily Mail.
One of the suspects may have been questioned by police according to notes seen being carried by a detective leaving a flat raided on Sunday.
Updated
at 10.43am BST
10.32am BST
10:32
Severin Carrell
The BBC Question Time special with the Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron, and Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish National party leader, is being filmed and broadcast tonight on BBC1 at 9pm after the BBC postponed the scheduled event yesterday evening after the London Bridge terror attack.
Farron and Sturgeon are on the campaign trail in Scotland today and their Question Time contest highlights several battles between the two parties. The Lib Dems are pitching to win back a handful of former Lib Dem seats in East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh West, North East Fife and Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross won by the SNP in 2015.
Farron’s battlebus tour started at 6am in a cafe in the Lib Dem target seat of Edinburgh West, which his party is widely expected to regain, before heading to support Jo Swinson’s effort to win back East Dunbartonshire in the well-healed neighbourhood of Bearsden.
About an hour later, Sturgeon will fly into East Dunbartonshire on the latest leg of her helicopter tour on her so-called Nicolopter, before taking in other battleground seats in the Borders and central Scotland.
Updated
at 10.39am BST
10.28am BST
10:28
This morning Karen Bradley, the culture secretary and a former Home Office minister, refused to answer when asked on ITV’s Good Morning Britain if the number of armed police had gone down since 2010. (See 7.43am.) It’s not hard to guess why. The Times’ Matt Chorley has the figures.
If only someone had given Karen Bradley this chart, she could have answered the question on whether the number of armed police has been cut pic.twitter.com/qP6Sy4aUbs
In his speech (covered here and here) last night Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, criticised the government for cutting police numbers. He said:
You cannot protect the public on the cheap the police and security services must get the resources they need not 20,000 police cuts.
Theresa May was warned by the Police Federation but she accused them of “crying wolf”.
As Labour set out in our manifesto we will recruit another 10,000 new police officers including more armed police who need to be properly rewarded as well as 1,000 more security services staff to support our communities and help keep us safe.
And this morning Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, has also criticised the Tories for cutting police numbers. He said:
Theresa May must level with the British people and accept that on her watch armed officer numbers were cut. She asks us to trust her on security but the truth is as home secretary she cut armed officers and cut community police numbers.
The Liberal Democrats would provide our police with £300m extra funding a year and would do what is needed to tackle the scourge of violent extremism.
Updated
at 10.38am BST
10.16am BST
10:16
Damien Gayle
In the area around London Bridge there are as yet few flowers laid for victims of Saturday night’s attacks.
Dave Austin, from Epping, was looking for the right place to leave a bunch.
Asked why, he said: “I, like everybody else, was overwhelmed. I saw it on the telly ... I can’t help but be moved.
“London’s got a really subdued feeling this morning, and it’s not supposed to feel like that.”
Austin said he would leave his flowers “anywhere where I feel suitable. I’m not sure at the moment because so much is cordoned off.”
London Bridge station is now fully operational with a heavy police presence.
"#London's got a subdued feel this morning." Dave Austin, from Epping, with flowers for the #LondonBridgeAttack victims pic.twitter.com/vE0Ck3qTQd
Updated
at 10.22am BST
10.10am BST
10:10
Southwark cathedral and Borough Market remain closed as a police cordon remains in place in several streets to the south-west of London Bridge.
The Cathedral remains closed due to ongoing @metpoliceuk investigation. We will be posting updates when we receive them #LondonBridge
The Market remains closed today
8.15am update - this is the current extent of the police cordon at #londonbridge. pic.twitter.com/rLgyDza5Hu
10.07am BST
10:07
Guardian/ICM poll suggests Conservatives have 11-point lead over Labour
The latest Guardian/ICM poll is out this morning. And it suggests that the Conservative lead remains in double digits. Here are the figures.
Conservatives: 45% (no change from Guardian/ICM last week)
Labour: 34% (up 1)
Lib Dems: 8% (no change)
Ukip: 5% (no change)
Green: 3% (no change)
Conservative lead: 11 points (down 1)
And here is a commentary on the figures from Martin Boon, ICM’s director.
Compared to other polls over the weekend, ours slots in the higher end of the Tory lead range, one point off ComRes’s 12-pointer. At the other end, Survation revealed a Tory lead of only one point. A moderately significant dividing line has emerged between sets of pollsters, largely pivoting on how we treat turnout. This has been widely discussed in polling circles since the Labour ‘surge’, which is at least partially based on younger people and 2015 non-voters saying they will now turn out, and vote for Labour.
Those pollsters, like us, who show higher Tory leads are implicitly sceptical about the extent of this self-reported turnout. Those with lower Labour leads largely take it at face value. But whichever turnout weighting scheme is applied, the impact is clear: as Sturgis & Jennings of the University of Southampton established in this paper, which was published yesterday.
The imposition of historical-based turnout probabilities (assuming that behaviours will tend toward the historical pattern) drives down the Labour and upweights the Tories. Self-reported turnout scales, largely employed by those pollsters showing the smallest Labour leads, hardly impact on the headline numbers. June 9th will show which was the better scheme, but here’s the age profile of voters from all general elections since 1964, courtesy of the House of Commons Library.
For my part, it’s hard to reconcile between 38%-54% estimated turnout among 18-24s since 1997 with one recent poll, which suggested that 82% of them would turn out to vote. But who knows? Jeremy Corbyn has, to common agreement, run a good campaign and has motivated sections of the society who have tended to disengagement. On Friday, we will have the answer on whether he has bucked the trend, or not.
ICM Unlimited interviewed a representative sample of 2,000 adults aged 18+ online on 2 to 4 June. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
UPDATE: Here are the tables (pdf).
Updated
at 10.30am BST
9.59am BST
09:59
Police cordons around London Bridge railway station were lifted earlier than planned on Monday, PA reports.
The station – which is the fourth busiest in the UK – was initially expected to be exit-only when it reopened at 5am.
This led to warnings of disruption for passengers heading to Kent and Surrey on Southeastern, Southern and Thameslink services.
But a spokeswoman for Network Rail, which manages the mainline station, said police cordons were lifted “earlier than expected”, meaning it was able to “open as usual”.
All entrances and exits to London Bridge underground station reopened with the exception of Borough High Street, Transport for London said.
London Bridge itself and other nearby roads also reopened on Monday morning. British Transport police said travellers may notice an increased police presence following the attack.
In a statement, the force said: “Members of the public should expect to see extra police officers patrolling stations in London and the south-east following the attacks. You may also see some of our armed police officers at stations.”
Updated
at 10.04am BST
9.50am BST
09:50
Jason Burke
Islamic State (Isis) has claimed responsibility for Saturday night’s attack via Amaq, its main communications channel, but evidence linking the group to the atrocity is sketchy.
A mistake on the date meant the claim had to be retracted and re-issued, and details were thin. The group simply said that a “detachment of fighters” from the group were responsible for the violence in London.
For a long time, Isis claims were seen as reliable by experts. The group tended to claim a link to an attack only where one existed. Some of these were tenuous, or, as in two cases in the US, only established when an attacker swore allegiance to Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi immediately before or even during an attack.
But the connections existed all the same, even if sometimes they only underlined the inspirational power of its ideology rather than its ability to execute complex operations.
The group also often provided detail in the claims. This included personal information about attackers or operational elements which often indicated a deep knowledge of the plot or the individuals concerned.
In the past Isis also sometimes provided pre-recorded videos or statements from attackers. In some cases, interviews with attackers were published in Isis magazines, or online, billed as an “exclusive”. These came weeks after an attack but could be considered conclusive evidence underpinning the group’s involvement.
Those days have passed. More recently, Isis has started claiming as its own attacks where there is no evidence of a connection. And it has stopped providing evidence to back up the claims and has made mistakes in its statements.
Isis claimed Khalid Massood, who attacked parliament and pedestrians on Westminster bridge in March, as one of their fighters. However, no evidence has yet emerged of a link. The group also claimed Salman Abedi, who attacked in Manchester last month, too. Investigators are probing Abedi’s connections in Libya where he may have been in contact with Isis militants, but have no solid proof yet of Isis direction or training.
Just days ago Isis claimed the bloody attack on a casino in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The lone gunman there turned out to be an unstable gambling addict with a grudge.
Why is this? Isis is under huge military pressure. Its leaders are moving all the time, with little time to organise a coherent communications strategy. Many key people involved with the group’s twisted public relations effort are now dead.
Simultaneously, the group’s losses of territory, personnel and resources mean that it is even more important than ever to project an image of a powerful organisation with global reach, even if the reality is that its refounded caliphate is crumbling fast.
#ISIS-linked Amaq Media has issued a very brief claim of responsibility for yesterday's attack in #London - take link w. some salt for now. pic.twitter.com/gY3BMAKoVx
Updated
at 9.58am BST