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London attack: Isis claims responsibility, as first victim is named – latest updates London attack: Isis claims responsibility, as first victim is named – latest updates
(35 minutes later)
10.54am BST
10:54
May defends her record over police funding
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 attacks.
She says 11 people are in custody.
The threat level remains at severe, 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.
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?
May says Dick has said she has the resources she needs.
She says the government has protected police spending since 2015.
Labour opposed extra spending on the police, she says.
And she says Jeremy Corbyn has opposed giving new powers to the police.
May defends her record over police funding.
We’ll post the full quotes shortly.
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 along 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, 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 10.55am 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 BST10.16am BST
10:1610:16
Damien GayleDamien Gayle
In the area around London Bridge there are as yet few flowers laid for victims of Saturday nights attacks. 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.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.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.”“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.”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 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"#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 BST10.10am BST
10:1010:10
Southwark cathedral and Borough Market remain closed as a police cordon remains in place in several streets to the south-west of London Bridge.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 #LondonBridgeThe Cathedral remains closed due to ongoing @metpoliceuk investigation. We will be posting updates when we receive them #LondonBridge
The Market remains closed todayThe Market remains closed today
8.15am update - this is the current extent of the police cordon at #londonbridge. pic.twitter.com/rLgyDza5Hu8.15am update - this is the current extent of the police cordon at #londonbridge. pic.twitter.com/rLgyDza5Hu
10.07am BST10.07am BST
10:0710:07
Guardian/ICM poll suggests Conservatives have 11-point lead over LabourGuardian/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.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)Conservatives: 45% (no change from Guardian/ICM last week)
Labour: 34% (up 1)Labour: 34% (up 1)
Lib Dems: 8% (no change)Lib Dems: 8% (no change)
Ukip: 5% (no change)Ukip: 5% (no change)
Green: 3% (no change)Green: 3% (no change)
Conservative lead: 11 points (down 1)Conservative lead: 11 points (down 1)
And here is a commentary on the figures from Martin Boon, ICM’s director.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 leaf of only 1-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 turnout, and vote for Labour. 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.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. 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. 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.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 BST9.59am BST
09:5909:59
Police cordons around London Bridge railway station were lifted earlier than planned on Monday, PA reports.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.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.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”.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.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.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.”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.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.04am BSTat 10.04am BST
9.50am BST9.50am BST
09:5009:50
Jason BurkeJason 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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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#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
UpdatedUpdated
at 9.58am BSTat 9.58am BST
9.40am BST
09:40
Four police officers injured
Four police officers were injured in Saturday night’s attack, including two on-duty Metropolitan officers, Scotland Yard has announced.
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 a an off-duty Met officer, who remains in hospital in a serious condition.
The further two Met officers were hurt while on duty. One a plain-clothes officer who received stitches to a head injury and a uniformed officer received an injury to his arm.
Updated
at 9.55am BST
9.33am BST
09:33
New barriers have been put up on Westminster Bridge to separate pedestrians from vehicles.
9.15am BST
09:15
Theresa May’s “enough is enough” response to the attack risks making the extremist threat worse, according Richard Barrett a former director of global counter-terrorism at MI6.
Writing for the Guardian he says:
The prime minister must be careful in equating terrorism with Islamist extremism. Whatever comment she added about the true values of Islam, this juxtaposition of terms is too simple a description for such a complex phenomenon: May’s use of words plays to the binary division that terrorists try to create between Muslims and the rest. In talking to officials in Muslim-majority countries about common approaches to terrorism, or to individual Muslims about defeating the terrorist narrative, I have almost always found criticism of the way the west approaches the problem in two areas.
First, officials complain that western governments tolerate extremist speech directed against these Muslim-majority countries because it does not contravene the law and falls under freedom of expression. This may be true, but it is totally defensible. The protection of individual freedoms, and the rule of law, are fundamental to a healthy and united society.
Second, they complain that western counter-terrorist policies in conflict zones are often counterproductive, especially when bombs and drones kill civilians. This is also true, but is far less defensible. Military action is not an appropriate response to the terror threat unless it forms part of a far wider strategy that takes into account the various drivers of extremism. The strategic counter-terrorist objectives of our military involvement in Syria are as obscure as they were in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan.
9.05am BST
09:05
Sam Jones
Spanish authorities said on Monday that they were still trying to find Ignacio Echeverría, a 39-year-old Spaniard who has not been seen since the attack on Saturday night.
Echeverría, who lives in London, had apparently been skateboarding in a park with friends when he stopped to help a woman who had been injured in the atrocity. His family have put out an appeal on Facebook, but is still awaiting news.
“The embassy and the consulate are in permanent contact with the family and with the British authorities and are giving them all the help they can,” a spokesman for Spain’s foreign ministry told the Guardian.
“But there is still no news for the moment.”
Spain’s interior minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido, told the Cadena Ser radio station that Echeverría “could be among” those who were injured in the attack and who were still being treated in hospital.
Some reports suggested he may have been wounded after using his skateboard to try to defend the woman he was trying to help. Echeverría was wearing blue jeans, a dark top and Vans trainers and has a small scar over one eyebrow. His family think he may not have had ID on him as he had been skateboarding.
Echeverría’s brother Joaquín, who is using Facebook to appeal for information, said the family had been asked for his fingerprints, adding: “That’s not a good sign.”Echeverría is from the municipality of Las Rozas in Madrid and works for HSBC in London.
The Spanish interior minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido, said another Spaniard had been injured in the attacks but was recovering well from wounds to his chest, wrist and leg, adding: “He wants to get better as soon as possible as he’s got an exam to take.”
Updated
at 9.10am BST
9.02am BST
09:02
Helena Smith
The Greek embassy has confirmed that a London-based Greek citizen was also among those injured in the attack saying the young man has been operated on after being knifed in the kidney.
“He sustained head injuries and was stabbed in the kidney but has been operated on and is in stable condition, out of danger,” Alexis Georgiadis, a spokesman at the Greek embassy, told the Guardian. “I have just spoken with his father and our ambassador will be visiting him today.”
The wounded man had moved to London, like so many of his compatriots, at the height of Greece’s economic crisis in 2011.
At least two videos shot in the chaotic aftermath of Saturday’s attack have featured a man in a pub describing over the phone in Greek how he is bleeding after being stabbed. One of the videos, aired by the Sun, alerted authorities that a Greek was among those injured.
9.00am BST
09:00
Police vans were parked outside a car repair shop on the Ripple Road section of the A13 in Dagenham in east London.
James Bateman, who lives at the other side of the road, told PA: “At about 4am, after the large bang, I looked outside the window after being woken up and I saw about a dozen armed police officers going to and from an unmarked van.”
He said they were wearing “full gear”, adding: “The first bang was nothing like I’d heard before.”
Bateman said the bangs that followed were not as loud but sounded “the equivalent” of gunshots.
He said he thought it was more like a business address than a property where people lived. Officers were standing guard in front of the property.
Police still on guard outside Dagenham property raided as part of London Bridge attack investigation. Detailed search underway inside pic.twitter.com/dPFv1GD8BH
Updated
at 9.07am BST
8.59am BST
08:59
Steve Hilton, who was director of strategy in Number 10 from 2010 until 2012 and who was a close friend of David Cameron’s until they fell out over the EU referendum (Hilton backed leave), has said Theresa May should resign because she was home secretary when the terror threat escalated.
i am so sick of Theresa May blaming others for terror when the system she presided over has obviously failed so lamentably @NextRevFNC pic.twitter.com/ALo2idz9ym
Theresa May responsible for security failures of London Bridge, Manchester, Westminster Bridge. Should be resigning not seeking re-election pic.twitter.com/2o0odey2BQ
Theresa May blame-shifting again. her spin doctors attack MI5, but she was in charge of them for years... pic.twitter.com/nlmOmuqfO8
Updated
at 9.07am BST
8.48am BST
08:48
Damien Gayle
A London Bridge businessman, who asked not to be named, said police had allowed him inside the cordon to check on his offices.
He described the scene as like “life had ceased.”
“No one’s touched a thing – just ready for forensics, it just feels. There’s medical equipment on the floor and stuff like that.
“We work next door to the restaurant where a lot of the people were treated, just on Thrale Street.”
His colleague interjected, describing how medical kits were littered across the street, chairs had been scattered throughout the area and half drunk drinks abandoned. The businessman said he and his colleagues were regulars at the Wheatsheaf pub, where the attackers with knives set about patrons.
“We’re there two or three nights a week, and we’re there every single day – but don’t tell our wives that.”
It is striking how few overtly armed police there are around the Borough Market cordon this morning. The only two I’ve seen so far have stationed just behind the cordon across Borough High Street, where the world’s media are assembled.
I asked a constable why officers were stationed there, where there seemed little need for them. “You’ll have to find someone paid considerably more than me to tell you,” he said.
He would not comment on a suggestion that they were there for the benefit of cameras, but smiled.
Literally the only armed police I've seen around #londonbridge. They appear to be posing for the cameras pic.twitter.com/VYJOKpvPBT
Updated
at 8.58am BST
8.44am BST
08:44
Peter Walker
Karen Bradley, the culture secretary, appeared to accept that the numbers of armed officers had fallen amid more general cutbacks to the police amid austerity after 2010.
“We’ve seen reductions in police officers across the board, we had to take difficult decisions in 2010 when we came into office when as you remember, there was no money,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “All parties at that time agreed there needed to be cuts.”
She added: “It’s not just about numbers, it’s about powers, it’s about making sure the police have the powers they need.”
Asked about reports that a report into the foreign funding of UK Islamist groups might not be published, in part because it focuses on Saudi Arabia, Bradley said the report was not completed and no decisions had been made.
“The important point is we work with our partners and allies, and we save far more lives by working together,” she said.
“We have, through all our diplomatic relations, honest conversations with our friends. But we need to work with our friends and with our allies to make sure we share intelligence.”
She added: “To suggest we’re not taking terrorist financing seriously is simply ridiculous.”
Bradley had nothing concrete to add to May’s suggestion that more would be done to combat extremism on the internet, saying: “We’ve been clear for some that there cannot be safe spaces for people to operate on the internet and promote radicalisation.”
Quizzed about whether this meant demanding a halt to end-to-end web encryption, Bradley said only that authorities would seek “access to information as required”.
She said: “That’s why we want to work with the internet companies, we want to work with those companies and individuals who develop the apps, develop the technology, so that they can help us to find the radicalisation.”
Updated
at 8.51am BST
8.39am BST
08:39
Cressida Dick also 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.
She told Today:
At the moment we seem to be facing a threat that is posed by people [with] largely a domestic focus although there are some international dimensions. We are dealing with people who appear very volatile, very unstable many of them. People who are prepared to use low-tech methods and sometimes go from thinking about the idea to carrying out an attack in a very short space of time. So this is very, very challenging.
Asked about the foreign dimension, Dick added:
“All the recent attacks I think have primarily a domestic centre of gravity. In the five that we have foiled and these three recent attacks, in some of them, there are undoubtedly international dimensions. We will always be looking to see if anything has been directed from overseas but, I would say, the majority of the threat that we are facing at the moment does not appear to be directed from overseas.
Dick added that some of the attacks and plots appeared to be copycat in nature.
We are looking at thousands of subjects of interest.
The rhetoric coming from Daesh [Islamic State] and other organisations has been to encourage people to take action into their own hands to use low-tech methods and undoubtedly when people see something which appears from their perverted point of view to be successful, some people will be inspired by that. So that is a possibility.
Updated
at 8.49am BST