More armed patrols on streets after extra £50m to fight terrorism

♦ Police forces will be handed a £50million funding boost to help the fight against terrorism. The extra cash will increase intelligence and surveillance capabilities and pay for armed officers to patrol city centres.

Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, secured the rise in next year’s police counter-terror budget to at least £757million after convincing Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, that more cash was needed to protect the public.

Ms Rudd said: “This represents our commitment to backing the talented and brave counter-terrorism forces with the resources they need to keep people safe. Since 2015 alone, we have increased counter-terrorism spending by 30 per cent and pledged more than £500million in increased funding for the counter-terrorism budget, to protect the UK from the ongoing threat posed by terrorism.”

Speaking about the extra money, Ms Rudd added: “This will allow counterterrorism policing to meet head-on the threat we face, working closely with our communities and continuing to disrupt those who would want to harm us. We are also reviewing our counterterrorism strategy to make sure we meet the unprecedented challenge.” Counter-terror police and the security services have disrupted 22 terrorist plots since Lee Rigby’s murder in 2013. Currently MI5 and police are running more than 500 live operations.