THE TORY and Labour parties yesterday suspended national campaigning in the general election for the day in the wake of Saturday night’s terror attack in London to allow a meeting of the COBRA emergency committee.
PM May said in a statement in Downing Street after the meeting: ‘As a mark of respect the two political parties have suspended our national campaigns for today. But violence can never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process. So those campaigns will resume in full tomorrow. And the general election will go ahead as planned on Thursday.’
She said: ‘The terrorists were confronted and shot by armed officers within eight minutes of the police receiving the first emergency call. Seven people have died as a result of the attack, in addition to the three suspects shot dead by the police. Forty-eight people are being treated in several hospitals across London. Many have life-threatening conditions.’
May went on to say: ‘Things need to change, and they need to change in four important ways.’
First, she said is to defeat the ‘evil ideology of Islamist extremism’.
Second: ‘We need to work with allied, democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorist planning. And we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online.’
Third, May called for ‘stamping out’ extremism ‘across the public sector and across society. That will require some difficult and often embarrassing conversations…’
Fourth, ‘we need to review Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy to make sure the police and security services have all the powers they need.’
Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, said: ‘We are all shocked and horrified by the brutal attacks in London. My thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have died and the many who have been injured. Today, we will all grieve for their loss.’
He added: ‘The Labour Party will be suspending national campaigning until this evening, after consultations with other parties, as a mark of respect for those who have died and suffered injury. Those who wish to harm our people, divide our communities and attack our democracy will not succeed. We will stand together to defend our common values of solidarity, humanity and justice, and will not allow terrorists to derail our democratic process.’
Russian president, Vladimir Putin, ‘expresses his profound condolences for the British people and condemns the terrorist attack carried out hours ago in London,’ Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Russian news agencies.
‘This crime shocks with its cruelty and cynicism,’ the Russian leader was quoted as saying later in a telegram to Theresa May. The Russian president expressed his certainty that the common response to what has happened should be an increase in combined efforts in the fight against the forces of terrorism,’ the Kremlin said.
Iran condemned the terror attack and said the hike in such incidents around the world is a ‘wake-up call’ for the entire international community. In a statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, called on certain states to stop ‘pursuing their short-term political and economic goals, which seem to be strategic, in favour of security for their citizens as well as the entire world.’
‘To uproot terror, it is necessary that they (those states) address the root causes as well as main financial and ideological sources of extremism and violence, which are clear to everyone,’ he added.
