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Katy Clifton1 December 2019

Labour and the Conservatives are joined by the Greens, Brexit Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrats for a live ITV debate in Salford.

Talking points include Donald Trump, the environment, the NHS, and Brexit.

Jeremy Corbyn has also warned people today that they cannot be kept safe “on the cheap” as he said the government can make acts of terror less likely in the wake of the London Bridge attack.

In a speech in York, the Labour leader paid tribute to the work of the emergency services who responded to the terrorist attack and said people have “a right to know from political leaders what steps they will take to ensure public safety”.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has denied that cuts made to the probation system by the Conservatives were a mistake following the London Bridge terror attack.

Blaming Labour for convicted terrorist Usman Khan's release, Mr Johnson said: "The reason this killer was out on the streets was because of automatic early release which was brought in by a lefty government.”

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1 December 2019

Jeremy Corbyn has warned people cannot be kept safe “on the cheap” as he said the government can make acts of terror less likely in the wake of the London Bridge attack.

In a speech in York, the Labour leader paid tribute to the work of the emergency services who responded to the terrorist attack and said people have “a right to know from political leaders what steps they will take to ensure public safety”.

I will always do whatever is necessary and effective to keep our people safe. First of all, the police who put themselves on the line to protect us will have the authority to use whatever force is necessary to protect and save lives.

If police believe an attacker is wearing a suicide vest, then they are right to take the action that they do and did.

We have to understand that no government can prevent every attack. No-one would believe any political leader who said they could. But the government can act to make such acts of terror less, rather than more, likely.

1 December 2019
1 December 2019

Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti has said it is “unedifying” to talk about “throwing away the keys”.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, she said.

What I will say is I think it is very unedifying to be talking about knee-jerk legislation and throwing away keys and whatever – legislation on the hoof, particularly after an atrocity, is rarely good legislation.

1 December 2019

The Prime Minister said the London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan was on the streets because of a  “leftie government”.

Mr Johnson said: “The reason this killer was out on the streets was because of automatic early release which was brought in by a leftie government.”

Pressed on cuts to prison and probation services and the rising levels of assaults on staff during this time, he added: “That is why this new Conservative administration is putting £2.5 billion into our prison service.”

Asked why this has not happened under the last years of Conservative government, he added: “I’m a new Prime Minister, we take a different approach.”

He added: “Jeremy Corbyn wants to scrap MI5. MI5 is responsible at keeping us safe, MI5 monitors thousands of people such as Usman Khan.”

1 December 2019

The Prime Minister blamed Usman Khan’s release on Labour.

His release was necessary under the law because of the automatic early release scheme under which he was sentenced, that was the reality, and that was brought in by Labour with the support of Jeremy Corbyn and the rest of the Labour Party.

I opposed it both in 2003 and 2008, and now that I am Prime Minister I’m going to take steps to make sure that people are not released early when they commit… serious sexual, violent or terrorist offences.

1 December 2019

Boris Johnson has said on BBC One’s the Andrew Marr Show he believes it is “repulsive” that terrorists as dangerous as the London Bridge attacker could be released from prison after serving eight years.

I think it is ridiculous, I think it is repulsive, that individuals as dangerous as this man should be allowed out after serving only eight years and that’s why we are going to change the law.

Boris Johnson on Andrew Marr Show (BBC) 

1 December 2019

Boris Johnson is being interviewed on Andrew Marr,

The Prime Minister says there are 74 people who have been released under similar conditions as London Bridge attacker Usman Khan, and they are being investigated.

1 December 2019

Asked how many convicted terrorists are on the streets of London or the rest of the country today, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “I’m not sure of the total number, but the reality is we’ve given a big boost to counter-terrorism policing by £160 million – it’s up by a third since 2015.

“We’ve made sure the security services have all the powers they need.

"We strengthened the sentences for terrorist offences, which Usman Khan was subject to, which allowed for automatic release at the half-way point and you’ve heard from the Prime Minister that he would increase them again, wants to make sure terrorist offenders serve their full sentence in prison.

“That’s the difference between what he’s saying and what Jeremy Corbyn is.”

1 December 2019

Liberal Democrat candidate Chuka Umunna has criticised Labour and the Tories for “seeking to use a terrorist incident as a political football” amid the General Election campaign.

The party’s foreign affairs spokesman told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “Clearly the system needs to be looked at, but the facts are this.

“The assailant, the person who committed the acts here, was jailed under a regime inherited by the coalition government from a Labour government and then he was released early under a Conservative government.

“So, this happened under governments of different political persuasions.”

1 December 2019

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