Blair urged to reveal terror threat
Tony Blair is facing calls from the Opposition to fully explain the level of terrorist threat to the UK.
The calls come from the shadow Home Secretary, David Davis, following news that London-based US banks are taking extra security precautions.
America is currently on a heightened state of alert after emails found on the computer of a suspected al Qaeda member arrested in Pakistan last week suggested that there were detailed plans in place to attack key American financial targets such as the World Bank.
There have also been suggestions that information was found detailing potential London targets, mainly American banks based either in the City or Canary Warf, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Mr Davis said: “We find it very worrying that the Americans seem to be at a much more advanced stage than us in contingency planning and police presence. They also share much more information with their public than our Government.
“Blair needs to spell out the exact threat to the UK so that we are in a clear position where we stand. It is astonishing that we are getting more information about the risk to Britain from the Americans than from our own Government.”
He suggested that local authorities do not have enough resources to deal with the threat and that a Minister for Homeland Security should be appointed.
A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats told politics.co.uk that they have been calling for greater clarity in the reporting of the terrorist threat to the UK since the attacks on 9/11. However, she accused the Conservatives of jumping on the band wagon and “scaremongering” in raising the issue now.
Unlike the US, Britain does not operate a colour-coded publicly accessible warning system.
The level of alert in the UK remains high, but it is not believed that police activity has been stepped up.
Publicly available threat information on the Home Office website has not been updated since the 28th July. It warns: “The threat from international terrorism remains real and serious. Usama bin Laden has in several statements publicly named Britain and British interests as a target, and encouraged attacks to be carried out against them.”
However, there are no specific terror warnings in place.
