Terror threat in spotlight on eve of UK election

LONDON: The terror threat to Britain has emerged as the key campaign issue ahead of Thursday’s election, amid mounting anger over apparent security flaws after a series of deadly attacks on UK soil.

Britain’s ruling Conservatives, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, and the opposition Labour Party battled to defend their records on security on Tuesday, as further details emerged over the perpetrators of a violent attack that killed seven people in London on Saturday.

Khuram Shazad Butt, one of the attackers named, “was known to the police and MI5,” the domestic security service, but there was no intelligence to suggest the attack was being planned, police said. He had featured in a television documentary entitled “The Jihadis Next Door” and, according to British media, numerous people alarmed by his views had gone to the authorities.

It earlier emerged that the May 22 suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena was perpetrated by Salman Abedi, who was also known to British intelligence services.

May has vowed to crack down on extremists. But she is also facing criticism over the number of police officers in the UK, which reportedly declined by almost 20,000 between 2009 and 2016.

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to hire thousands of officers for neighborhood duties, arguing that a grassroots approach would curb crime and radicalization.

A poll published by YouGov on Tuesday found that May is on track to win 304 seats in Britain’s Parliament, short of a 326-seat majority. Her party had 330 seats when the election was called in April.

Stephan Shakespeare, CEO and founder of YouGov, said, however, the polling firm did not believe the narrowing of May’s lead was a consequence of the terrorist attack over the weekend.

“This has been a highly volatile election, but I think May will remain in Number 10,” he told Arab News.