Complacency warning over terror threat

The Conservatives have accused the government of being "hugely complacent" about a further terrorist attack on London.

 

In an interview with the Parliamentary Monitor magazine, shadow minister for homeland security Patrick Mercer condemned Labour for failing to appoint a cabinet level figure in charge of anti-terrorist measures.

 

The former senior army officer said: "The government does not have anyone prepared to take on this job with both hands, and that is why we need a single minister at cabinet rank to deal with this."

 

The effect of this lack of overarching ministerial responsibility could be devastating, says Mercer, who believes Britain's most vulnerable point is the London Underground - one of the targets of the July 7 bombers.

 

Mercer said: "The Tube is wide open to further attacks and very little has been done to make it any safer – the government is hugely complacent about Tube safety and security.

 

"Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, when he was detained by the Americans four years ago, said that one of his principal targets was the London Underground, and that has been clear for years.

 

"Since then we have had a successful attack that killed 52 and injured about 700, we have had an attempted attack that failed on July 21, and we have almost certainly had foiled attacks as well.

 

"It is not as if the enemy is going away from the tube. Dhiren Barot [the would-be 'dirty bomber'], who has just received 40 years in prison, said that he planned to attack the tube. What has happened to make the tube safer? Virtually nothing.

 

"Apart from the Jubilee Line, there are no signs telling you what to do in the event of an emergency. There are signs telling you not to put your feet on the seats and to turn down your iPod, but nothing to tell you what to do in an emergency," Mercer said.