Manchester attack: UKIP says May must bear 'some responsibility'

UKIP's deputy chairman has backtracked after saying Theresa May must bear "some responsibility" for the Manchester terror attack because of cuts to the police.

Suzanne Evans was answering questions from journalists after attacking the Prime Minister's record as home secretary during the launch of the party's manifesto in central London.

When asked by Sky's Adam Boulton what was the point of listing Mrs May's failures at the Home Office if it was not to suggest she should bear some responsibility for the security failings which led to Monday's attack, Ms Evans said: "I think she must bear some responsibility.

"All politicians who voted for measures to make cuts bear some responsibility.

"I think when 9/11 happened we should have had a serious rethink about immigration. It didn't happen."

When pressed on her claim Ms Evans at first denied saying it, and then sought to clarify her remark, telling journalists: "The only people who are responsible for what happened in Manchester are the terrorists. Let me make that absolutely clear.

"I think sometimes we are too quick to blame other people but the terrorists in these situations.

"But the circumstances that allowed their ideology to breed, that allowed their hatred to spread, politicians should have taken action on that long ago."

Ms Evans was appearing alongside leader Paul Nuttall, who called for a "far more muscular approach" to social integration as he backed seizing the passports of Britons who leave to fight for Islamic State.

He called Islamic fundamentalism "one of the major issues" facing politicians and said he made no apologies for calling radical Islam a "cancer in our society".

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UKIP is pledging to fund 20,000 extra troops and police officers, as well as 7,000 extra prison officers and 4,000 more border officers.

A key focus of the launch was an attack on Mrs May's record as home secretary.

Mr Nuttall said "The Prime Minister has, during her time in high office, presided over cuts to our police service and reductions in our Armed Forces too.

"She has put pressure on the police to lower the numbers of stops and searches they carry out.

"And no progress whatever was made reducing the level of immigration in order to give social cohesion a chance to advance."

The UKIP leader added that the emergency services' response to Monday's atrocity in Manchester showed it was time to invest in them.

Ms Evans said "nothing will change" if Mrs May wins a large majority on 8 June.

"Theresa May might like to portray herself as a strong and stable leader who can tackle extremism, but her record suggests otherwise," she said.

"Theresa May has allowed jihadists who fought alongside Islamic State back into our country.

"She has failed to prevent extremists spreading hatred in our universities and our mosques.

"Under her watch, even non-EU migration spiralled out of control and net migration reached record highs."

Responding to Ms Evans' claim about the PM, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "I think it's entirely the wrong approach. What we're trying to do now is support police, the intelligence services and of course the victims.

"We need to make sure they're getting all the help they need, this is not the time to make political points."