Clarke: Coordinated response set up
Home secretary Charles Clarke has said that he does not know who or what is responsible for the terrorist attacks in London this morning.
But he confirmed a special task force, Cobra, had been brought into operation to ensure a coordinated response to the attacks, which included contacting police forces in cities across Britain.
“The situation is developing and I am not yet in a position to give a conclusive account of what has happened,” Mr Clarke told MPs, but he confirmed there had been four explosions in London, three at tube stations and one on a bus.
He expressed sympathy on behalf of the government to all those who were hurt and the families and friends of those who were killed, while also paying tribute to the emergency services working on the front line.
The Metropolitan police was in operational command using “well-established and tested procedures”, he said, while the health service was providing “first class care and support”.
Transport in London was likely to be closed for “sometime”, Mr Clarke said, although efforts were being made to try to ensure people could get home from work this evening.
“The people of London over generations have developed resilience in the face of several appalling issue and I have no doubt they will show that today,” he added.
Shadow home secretary David Davies condemned the attacks as “acts of the most despicable depravity” which hit not just the British capital but “our country and way of life as a whole”.
And he welcomed prime minister Tony Blair’s announcement that the G8 summit in Gleneagles would still be going ahead.
“The prime aim of terrorists is to demoralise our communities. It is right that we should be angry, but no less essential that we remain clear-headed,” Mr Davies said.
“London has a history of terrorism, but we joined together in the past and we will do it again. British people will not be cowed and the terrorists will not win.”
Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats Menzies Campbell joined Mr Davies in expressing his support for the government and the emergency services at this time.
But he stressed the need not to “speculate, saying: “Nothing would be worse than to rush to judgement based on incomplete information.”
