“High risk” of Paris-style attacks in UK, warns defence secretary Michael Fallon ahead of Cameron’s crucial vote on Syrian air strikes
Defence secretary Michael Fallon has warned of the high risk of Paris Style attacks as the government seeks cross-party support for Syian air strikes in the fight against Islamic State (IS).
“What happened in Paris and Brussels could easily happen in London,” warned Fallon in an interview with a Sunday newspaper. "The threat to the UK is extremely high. An attack is highly likely so we have to respond.”
Fallon and fellow ministers are seeking support before a vote on extending air strikes takes place, however the stance of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn could potentially put those plans off track.
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“We have seen it in Paris, a European city, just two hours away, right on our doorstep,” he says. “Our security forces work extremely hard to protect us but we can’t rule out a similar attack here and we have to be ready to respond to it," Fallon warned.
“I can’t go into detail of the individual plots that have been foiled. The threat from IS is as potent here as it was real in Paris and Brussels. It could be London, it could be Manchester, it could be Glasgow. We have seen threats to shopping centres in the past. We have had terrorists convicted of making threats to shopping centres in the past but we mustn’t be cowed by these risks. Life has to go on,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.
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Corbyn, who opposes air strikes, is still deciding whether to give Labour MPs a free vote or order them to oppose the military action. A vote may come as soon as this week.