Military guards will be on alert at Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Parliament and embassies across London, as the government activated Operation Temperer, a plan devised several years ago that allows for over 3,500 members of Britain’s armed forces to support the police in protecting the civilian population.
The move came following the government’s decision — on the advice of the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) — to raise the country’s threat level to “critical” for the first time in over a decade, meaning an attack was expected imminently.
Monday night’s devastating attack on the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester has added a terrible and tragic new twist to British politics with less than two weeks to go to the snap general election . While political parties have continued to suspend their election campaign as a mark of respect, attention will increasingly focus on the impact that the attack will have on the voting box.
Narrowing gap
In the days running up to the attack, polls had shown a narrowing of the Conservatives’ lead over the Labour Party. An ICM poll conducted for the Guardian newspaper on Monday found that the Conservatives lead had fallen to 14 points from 20, following the release of party manifestos, which included popular Labour policies on reversing cuts to public services and renationalising sectors including rail.
The Conservatives were hit by a controversy over plans to change the way elderly people pay for their social care. The party’s subsequent decision to abandon the manifesto appeared to go against the “strong and stable” image that the Conservatives convey of themselves.
It’s often assumed that a terror attack will benefit the incumbent in an election, particularly one to the right who places a strong emphasis on immigration control and security. Recent polls have suggested greater public support for Prime Minister Theresa May when it comes to issues such as security. Even ahead of the poll, the Conservatives had sought to portray the Labour Party as weak on the issue of security. It’s a message, carried on in many of Britain’s right wing tabloids, which in recent days (before the attack) sought to draw links between Mr. Corbyn and the Irish Republican Army, which carried out terror attacks across the U.K.
Yet, the Conservatives will have to tread a cautious path. Recent experience, including in France, where a terror attack took place just days before the first round of the election, suggest that such incidents don’t always bolster the right. It is notable that in her first speech following Monday’s attack, Ms. May emphasised the messages of “solidarity and hope”. Despite public concerns about security, they are loath to give the government a blank check in the way they respond. In recognition of public concerns about the targeting of certain communities, the Conservative manifesto also included a commitment to potentially changing the rules on police’s stop and search powers amid evidence that those from ethnic minority backgrounds were much more likely to be targeted.
The Conservatives have also not been immune to criticism over issues relating to security, including over cuts to police budgets, with the police watchdog HMIC warning earlier this year that many forces were not as well equipped as they were in the past to stop crimes from happening. There have also been warnings that exiting the EU could make it harder for Britain to fight terrorism.
It’s early days after the attack but attempts by the far right to gain political momentum from the attack have so far been angrily shouted down , while people from across Manchester’s diverse communities rallied to support those impacted by the attack.
