London Bridge attack: First victim named as pressure mounts on Johnson for investigation into release of convict taught by Anjem Choudary
Security minister confirms police are not looking for more suspects in investigation
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Labour and the Conservatives sought to blame each other for the release of the convicted terrorist who killed two people in London Bridge on Friday.
Prime minister Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel both claimed that Jeremy Corbyn’s party was responsible for the law that meant 28-year-old Usman Khan was freed on licence half way through his 16-year sentence.
Meanwhile former shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper questioned what action the government took to assess the risks posed by the attacker, and both Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, pointed to cuts made to public services over the last decade.
The attacker, who was convicted of terrorism offences in 2012 and released last December, was fatally shot by police at about 2pm on Friday.
One of the victims has been named as 25-year-old Jack Merritt, who worked as a course coordinator for the prisoners’ rehabilitation programme holding the event at Fishmongers’ Hall.
His father David described him as “an exceptional young man” and called for greater funding of probation services monitoring released prisoners.
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load
The licence conditions of every terrorist offender are being reviewed following the London Bridge attack, according to the Ministry of Justice.
A spokesman said: "Work is already advanced on reviewing the licence conditions of every terrorist offender, making sure conditions are as tough as they need to be. We are also stepping up our already frequent meetings with these offenders."
The MOJ said the review was being undertaken to "guarantee public safety rather than because of any particular concern".
London Bridge attacker Usman Khan featured in a newsletter for the Learning Together programme, according to the BBC.
He is said to have thanked the education initiative for their help and for providing him with a laptop.
The Learning Together newsletter quoted "Usman" as saying: "It is more than just an organisation, helping to provide learning of individual academic subjects.
"For me it’s main benefit is bringing people together, through the means of learning. Learning Together is about opening minds, unlocking doors, and giving voice to those who are shut down, hidden from the rest of us.
"It helps to include those who are generally excluded. This is what Learning Together means to me.
"I typed these reflections on the Chromebook I received and I am truly grateful to be able to express myself through it.
"I cannot send enough thanks to the entire Learning Together team and all those who continue to support this wonderful community."
Mr Khan was invited to the Learning Together conference at Fishmongers' Hall on Friday to mark the programme's fifth anniversary.
Several academics had tweeted about the conference before the attack.
Several barristers have intervened in the political debate over the release of the London Bridge attacker - to point out that both Labour and Conservatives have misunderstood the law.
They include David Anderson, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, barrister Matthew Scott and the anonymous book-writing Secret Barrister, who says politicians are seeking "to exploit the tragedy for their own ends".
The father of Jack Merritt has rejected attempts to blame "lenient sentences" and instead suggested the probation service - which monitors released prisoners - should be properly funded.
David Merritt also pays tribute to his son as "an exceptional young man".
Jeremy Corbyn has launched an attack on previous political leaders in the UK for fuelling the threat of terrorism by "making the wrong calls" about the nation's security..
In a speech he is due to give in York on Sunday, two days after the London Bridge attack, the Labour leader will say that the "war on terror" has failed.
Mr Corbyn will point out that he warned against the invasion and occupation of Iraq 16 years ago, adding: "I said it would set off a spiral of conflict, hate, misery, desperation that will fuel the wars, the conflict, the terrorism, and the misery of future generations. It did, and we are still living with the consequences today."
He will go on to say: "For far too long, our country's leaders have made the wrong calls on our security. Their mistakes in no way absolve terrorists of blame for their murderous actions. The blame lies with the terrorists, their funders and recruiters.
"But if we are to protect people we must be honest about what threatens our security. The threat of terrorism cannot and should not be reduced to questions of foreign policy alone. But too often the actions of successive governments have fuelled, not reduced that threat."
He is also expected to argue that Britain should free itself from US influence - describing Boris Johnson as "the world's leading sycophant" towards Donald Trump.
Mr Corbyn will say: "Real security requires calmly making the right calls at moments of high pressure, often against the grain of conventional wisdom.
"That requires the courage and strength to chart an independent course when we think our friends and allies are doing the wrong thing.
"It is time for Britain to stop being tied to Donald Trump's coat-tails. Boris Johnson has been the world's leading sycophant towards the US President.
"From climate change denial to unconditional support for the Israeli far right, from racism to confrontation with China, Trump is taking the world on a dangerous path.
"Britain must make its own foreign policy, free from a knee-jerk subservience to a US administration which repudiates our values.
"Under Labour, Britain will have its own voice in the world, standing tall for security, peace and justice. That's the path to real security."
Targeting the Conservatives over cuts to public services over the past decade, Jeremy Corbyn will also argue that "you can't keep people safe on the cheap".
He will say during the speech in York on Sunday: "It is our duty to look calmly and seriously at what we need to do to give people real security. Our public services are the glue that bind our society together.
"Community policing, the probation service, mental health, youth and social services, all play a vital part.
"When those public services are cut back as they have been during the past decade, they leave behind gaps.
"That can lead to missed chances to intervene in the lives of people who go on to commit inexcusable acts, whether it's during their childhood, their first brush with the law, their first conviction, or in prison through rehabilitation programmes.
"Take the probation service, part-privatised in 2014, resulting in disaster. The most serious cases stayed in a justice system badly undermined by austerity. A failure to recruit has left huge staffing shortfalls and with staff supervising more cases than ever expected, posing a serious risk to our security.
"Real security doesn't only come from strong laws and intelligence, it comes also from effective public services that have the funding they need. You can't keep people safe on the cheap."
Jeremy Corbyn says he will back the police use of lethal force to protect lives, according to the same speech.
After paying tribute to the police and members of the public who responded to the London Bridge attack, the Labour leader is expected to say:
I will always do whatever is necessary and effective to keep our people safe.
First of all, the police who put themselves on the line to protect us will have the authority to use whatever force is necessary to protect and save life.
If police believe an attacker is wearing a suicide vest and innocent lives are at risk, then it is right they are able to use lethal force.
Earlier this month he was criticised for saying it would have been "the right thing to do" to capture Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi alive, if possible, and put him before the International Criminal Court.
Boris Johnson accused him of being "naive to the point of being dangerous".
Jeremy Corbyn will give the speech in York on Sunday
Meanwhile Boris Johnson says his government would bring in minimum prison sentences of 14 years for convicted terrorists.
He also wants to prevent early release for anyone convicted of terrorism and extremist offences.
Mr Johnson added: "This system has got to end - I repeat, this has got to end, as I've been saying for four months. If you are convicted of a serious terrorist offence, there should be a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years - and some should never be released.
"Further, for all terrorism and extremist offences the sentence announced by the judge must be the time actually served - these criminals must serve every day of their sentence, with no exceptions.
"These simple changes, in line with what I've been saying since becoming Prime Minister, would have prevented this attack.
"I believe they will help stop further attacks and these changes will be made urgently in the New Year if I am Prime Minister and have a majority in Parliament."
The prime minister visits the scene of the attack on London Bridge
That's it for today's live coverage of the response to the London Bridge attack. Thank you for reading.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.