30 October 2023 , 08:10
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Rishi Sunak is set to chair an emergency Cobra meeting today amid heightened terrorism fears fuelled by the crisis in Israel and Gaza.
He will be joined by Home Secretary Suella Braverman and national security bosses and top cops. It comes after the head of the Met Police - Britain's most senior police officer - warned that the war has raised the security threat faced by the UK.
It is the first COBRA meeting since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Education minister Robert Halfon said it is a "very difficult time".
Asked how worried the public should be about the threat of terrorism, Mr Halfon told Sky News: "I think that's up to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary to announce." He told Times Radio: "I'm not at that Cobra meeting. I'm sure it will be announced later on. But, of course, we have to make sure that British citizens are safe and secure from the threat of terrorism as the Government always does."
The UK's current threat level is "substantial" - a level in place since February last year when it was downgraded from "severe". Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said laws could be "sharpened" to deal with extremism amid a rise in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents.
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He told Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky News: "There is scope to be much sharper in how we deal with extremism within this country. The law was never designed to deal with extremism, there's a lot to do with terrorism and hate crime but we don't have a body of law that deals with extremism, and that is creating a gap."
Sir Mark said there has been a 14-fold increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the crisis started three weeks ago, and a three-fold increase in crimes against the Muslim community.
He said about 100 people had been arrested at demonstrations held since the Hamas attack on Israel three weeks ago, with "many more" arrests expected in the near future. Nine people were arrested in central London during a mainly peaceful pro-Palestine demonstration on Saturday.
Seven of the arrests were alleged public order offences, a number of which are being treated as hate crimes, while two were for suspected assaults on officers. Five people have since been charged, the Met said. One incident related to a placard being displayed which was allegedly threatening and racist in nature near Piccadilly Circus, police said.
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