Inspiring bravery of emergency crews

It will be days, possibly even weeks or months, until we know exactly what happened in London yesterday.

However, amid all the early anger and recriminations, we are again left with the stark fact that terrorists are prepared to go to any lengths to disrupt our way of life.

The attacks at Westminster follow incidents in Belgium, Tunisia, Paris, Nice and Berlin.

Since the 9/11 assault on the World Trade Centre in New York such attacks have — horrifically — become regularly occurrences. Nowhere, it seems, is immune. The emergency services, who again acted so heroically in the aftermath of yesterday’s atrocity, have doubtless stopped many potential incidents from happening at all.

Others could have been so much worse were it not for the fearless actions of those determined to protect ordinary citizens.

Yet, the terror threat is as severe now as it has been at any point in human history and there is no surefire way to protect ourselves from the depraved behaviour of those hellbent on destruction.

While we must not give in to terror, the decision to suspend yesterday’s debate in Holyrood — where a second independence referendum was being discussed — was the right one.

For now, everyone’s thoughts are rightly with those most intimately affected by yesterday’s terrible events.