British People Will Not Be Intimidated

The British people will be united in the face of terrorist attacks, the Prime Minister has said

In an interview with the BBC, Gordon Brown said that the incidents in London and Glasgow were part of an attempt to "undermine" the British way of life and that it was important for the public to remain "vigilant". It was also important that people "live their lives as normal", he added.

"The important message is that, as one, we will not yield, we will not be intimidated and we will not allow anyone to undermine the British way of life."

Following the discovery of two car bombs in central London in the early hours of Friday, and the driving of a burning vehicle into the arrivals terminal in Glasgow airport yesterday, the Prime Minister said that police were making "rapid progress" in their investigations.

Given the suspected links with Islamic extremism, the PM said it was important to separate the majority of moderate Muslims from the few who use violent means to oppose "British values". Their actions, he said, were based upon "a perversion" of religion.

"Terrorism can never be justified as an act of faith - it is an act of evil in all circumstances."

Asked about any expected impact of removing British troops from places such as Iraq, Mr Brown said that the terrorist threat was "long-term and sustained" and "unrelated in detail" to one particular conflict. There was a cultural battle to be fought to explain "the values we represent" compared with the values of extremists and "the world they want to create".

The PM chaired a meeting of Cobra, the civil contingencies committee, on Saturday. Following the meeting, which saw the offical threat level to the UK raised to critical, Mr Brown praised the emergency services for their "dedicated professionalism".

Police have appealed for anyone with information about the incidents to call a special confidential hotline on 0800 0560944

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