Sunak to chair Cobra meeting on domestic threat linked to Hamas and Israel war
Rishi Sunak will chair an emergency Cobra meeting amid fears that the conflict between Hamas and Israel could have increased the domestic terror threat in Britain.
The Prime Minister will assemble police and national security officials and Home Secretary Suella Braverman in Downing Street on Monday morning, Whitehall sources said.
Education minister Robert Halfon stressed before the meeting that the Government has to ensure British citizens are “safe and secure from the threat of terrorism”.
He declined to say whether the terror threat level might be raised, which stands at “substantial” in England, Wales and Scotland, meaning an attack is likely.
It has stood at that level since February last year when it was lowered from “severe”, meaning the threat is highly likely.
Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley warned on Sunday that terrorism was being “accelerated” by events in the Middle East, as he raised concerns about “state threats from Iran”.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is in Abu Dhabi for talks on getting humanitarian aid into Gaza and allowing civilians, including British nationals, to leave.
He said the United Arab Emirates have had a “thoughtful and authoritative” voice on aid, as he meets with Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Mr Cleverly warned supplies are “predominantly stuck” in Egypt as allies push for a “humanitarian pause” to allow aid to reach the Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million people.
“It’s trickling through, but we need a significant increase in the volume,” he told broadcasters in the United Arab Emirates.
Published: by Radio NewsHub