Security moves to top of the election agenda

With ten days to go until polling day, the election campaign has turned to national security. Following the London Bridge knife attack on Friday by a convicted terrorist which left two members of the public dead, the Conservatives have made a concerted effort to get on the front foot on the issue. Over the weekend, Boris Johnson announced plans for tougher sentencing for terrorists – including a minimum sentence of 14 years. There’s more to come – with Johnson to announce a five-point plan to prevent serious criminals and terrorists from entering the country after Brexit. Given that this is the week the NATO summit comes to town, the Tories were always planning a security focus. However, the events of Friday mean that this has been amplified. It has become an election issue for both main parties – with Jeremy Corbyn using a speech on Sunday to warn that the ‘war on terror has manifestly failed’.