Britain’s election campaign resumed in earnest on Monday with Prime Minister Theresa May’s opinion poll lead narrowing and the focus firmly on her security record after an attack by marauding jihadis killed seven people in the heart of London.
A parliamentary election takes place on Thursday and May’s spokeswoman said the government was working closely with police on security for the vote.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, backed calls for her resignation over the police cuts.Lead narrowingThe Conservatives’ lead over Labour has narrowed markedly from 20 points or more when she called the election in April to a range between one and 12 points now, although they are still widely expected to win a majority.
The pound rose on currency markets, which favour May over Corbyn, after the latest ICM poll, taken between June 2 and June 4 and published on Monday, suggested the Conservatives were ahead by 11 points.
After chairing a meeting of the government’s crisis response committee on Monday morning, May said the official threat level remained at “severe”, meaning an attack was highly likely, and additional security measures were in place.Police numbersWith the issue of security now dominating the election agenda, May responded to the latest violence by saying Britain should be tougher in stamping out Islamist extremism.
But that did not stop the questions to May about police numbers during her time as interior minister. According to official data, officer numbers decreased every year that she was in the post, from 2010 to 2016. The number of authorised firearms officers in England and Wales fell to just under 5,700 in 2016 from nearly 7,000 in 2010.
Asked whether she regretted presiding over the cuts, May did not answer the question, saying London’s Metropolitan Police was well resourced and had powerful counter-terrorism capabilities.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
