logo
Starmer, Cooper and King Charles mark 20th anniversary of 7/7 attacks

Starmer, Cooper and King Charles mark 20th anniversary of 7/7 attacks

The Guardian18 hours ago
Keir Starmer, King Charles and the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, have marked the 20th anniversary of the 7 July attacks in London in which Islamist suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured more than 770.
The prime minister said: 'Today the whole country will unite to remember the lives lost in the 7/7 attacks, and all those whose lives were changed for ever. We honour the courage shown that day – the bravery of the emergency services, the strength of survivors and the unity of Londoners in the face of terror.
'Those who tried to divide us failed. We stood together then and we stand together now – against hate and for the values that define us of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.'
The king said people should remember those who were killed in attacks on three London Underground trains and a bus, but also the stories of courage and compassion that day.
'Today, as we mark 20 years since the tragic events of 7th July 2005, my heartfelt thoughts and special prayers remain with all those whose lives were for ever changed on that terrible summer's day,' he said.
'We remember with profound sadness the 52 innocent people who were killed in senseless acts of evil – and the enduring grief of their loved ones. We recall, too, the hundreds more who carry physical and psychological scars, and pray that their suffering may ease as the years pass.
'In doing so, we should also remember the countless stories of extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day. The selfless bravery of our emergency services, transport workers and fellow citizens who rushed towards danger to help strangers reminds us of the very best of humanity in the face of the very worst.'
Cooper said: 'Twenty years have passed since 7/7 but the passage of time makes what happened that day no less shocking. It was an appalling attack on our capital city and on democracy itself.
'As we come together to mark this anniversary, my thoughts remain with the victims, survivors and all who loved them. Amid the horror of that day, we saw the best of people, our emergency services, first responders and ordinary Londoners who bravely acted to help one another. Their courage continues to inspire us.'
Two weeks after the attacks, five other would-be suicide bombers tried to detonate similar devices on tube carriages and a bus, but one terrorist dumped his device and the four other bombs failed to properly detonate, causing no injuries.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

King tells of ‘profound sadness' in letter to Trump after Texas floods
King tells of ‘profound sadness' in letter to Trump after Texas floods

Glasgow Times

time27 minutes ago

  • Glasgow Times

King tells of ‘profound sadness' in letter to Trump after Texas floods

Charles 'offered his deepest sympathy' to those who lost loved ones over the July Fourth weekend, the British Embassy in Washington said. 'Following the devastating flooding in Texas, His Majesty King Charles has written to President Trump to express his profound sadness at the tragic loss of life,' the embassy said. Following the devastating flooding in Texas, His Majesty King Charles has written to President Trump to express his profound sadness at the tragic loss of life. He offered his deepest sympathy to all families who have lost loved ones and paid tribute to courage and selflessness… — British Embassy Washington (@UKinUSA) July 7, 2025 'He offered his deepest sympathy to all families who have lost loved ones and paid tribute to courage and selflessness of the emergency service and volunteers.' Operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, said they lost 27 campers and counsellors, confirming their worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. With additional rain on the way, more flooding remains a threat in saturated parts of the US state. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise as crews looked for many people who were missing.

Hand back our £771MILLION Mr Macron.. s'il vous plait: French President to face questions over his country's failure to dent small boat crisis as he arrives in Britain
Hand back our £771MILLION Mr Macron.. s'il vous plait: French President to face questions over his country's failure to dent small boat crisis as he arrives in Britain

Daily Mail​

time40 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Hand back our £771MILLION Mr Macron.. s'il vous plait: French President to face questions over his country's failure to dent small boat crisis as he arrives in Britain

Emanuel Macron flies into Britain tomorrow under huge pressure to finally crack the escalating small-boats crisis. The French president will face questions over his country's failure to make a dent in illegal Channel crossings – despite being handed more than three quarters of a billion pounds of British taxpayers' money. Arrival numbers are up 56 per cent so far this year compared with the same period in 2024, with 2,599 last week alone. And a total of 172,255 small-boat migrants have reached Britain since the crisis began in 2018 – entirely under Mr Macron's presidency – with the vast majority departing from French beaches. Only 4 per cent have been deported. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'We've paid France £771 million and they've stopped very few migrants on land and none at sea. 'This is in contrast to Belgium where embarkations have dropped 90 per cent because they do intercept at sea. We should be asking France for a refund.' Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Macron are due to hold a bilateral summit on Thursday at the end of the president's three-day state visit, which begins tomorrow morning with a royal welcome. Downing Street declined to say whether the Prime Minister was ready to pay France tens of millions more to step up patrols, saying only that the Government 'will only ever provide funding that delivers for the priorities of the British public'. The two leaders are likely to announce details of new measures, including moves which will finally allow gendarmes to intercept dinghies already in the water. There may also be pledges for wider 'dragnet' tactics in French rivers and canals, installing floating barriers to prevent traffickers using them to launch so-called 'taxi boats' into the Channel. A report by the House of Commons Library, published this week, set out how £657 million has been given to France by the UK since 2018. A further £114 million was handed over in the previous four years for other security measures, making a total of more than £770 million over 12 years. The report added: 'There is little publicly available information about how funding is spent and monitored. 'UK authorities have refused Freedom of Information requests seeking detailed information.' In 2023, it emerged some of the UK's money had been used to buy equipment for French police operating on the French-Italian border – not the Channel coast. It was also revealed that most of the funds had been spent on helicopters, cars, motorbikes, e-scooters and quad bikes, plus surveillance equipment such as binoculars, drones and dash cams. British taxpayers' cash was also used to microwaves and car vacuums, and to support a horse brigade in the Somme Bay. Tony Smith, former director general of UK Border Force, told the Mail: 'Throwing more money at it – when the track record is so poor – is not a good investment. There is a lot of evidence it isn't really working despite the money we have given them. Over time, that £800 million we have spent has been a net loss. 'If more money is to be given to the French it should be a performance-related system, so if there is a reduction in the numbers crossing they get a percentage of the money that we would have otherwise spent on asylum support.' Mr Smith added: 'My view is there's a lot more the French could be doing. They need to step up their game considerably. 'I don't understand why they can't find the dinghies before they set off, given they have drone and satellite surveillance. Until now the French have never been prepared to get their feet wet, so if interventions at sea now go ahead, that could make a difference. 'The Government's 'smash the gangs' policy isn't working and the British people are losing patience.' He added that it was a 'grave error' by Sir Keir to abolish the previous Conservative government's Rwanda asylum scheme when it was finally ready to get off the ground. Nigel Farage described the French approach to the crisis as an 'insult' and urged the PM to block French trawlers from British fishing grounds unless Mr Macron agrees to step up cooperation dramatically. The Reform UK leader said: 'We have given the French £800 million in the last ten years in return for virtually nothing. 'Yet the Government now wants to give them access to our fishing waters for another 11 years. They simply cannot have both. Starmer has got to get much tougher and tell Macron he can't have the fish if he won't stop the boats. 'Their efforts at the moment are derisory. We see the French navy day after day escorting them to the halfway line. It is just an insult.' Boris Johnson has accused Mr Macron of 'weaponising' the small-boats crisis as revenge for Brexit. In his autobiography last year, the former PM said the French leader was so alarmed by the threat to his beloved EU project that there were 'a host of issues where, given the chance, he would not hesitate to put his Cuban-heeled bootee into Brexit Britain'. He added: 'It seemed at least possible to me that he was weaponising the problem.' A No 10 spokesman said Sir Keir's efforts at 'resetting relationships and partnerships' with EU leaders were leading to greater cooperation with the French. The spokesman said the UK's 'joint work with the French is stronger than it has ever been', adding: 'That relationship is key to a number of issues, and we expect to make good progress on a wide range of priorities, including migration, growth, defence and security.'

King tells of ‘profound sadness' in letter to Trump after Texas floods
King tells of ‘profound sadness' in letter to Trump after Texas floods

Western Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Western Telegraph

King tells of ‘profound sadness' in letter to Trump after Texas floods

Charles 'offered his deepest sympathy' to those who lost loved ones over the July Fourth weekend, the British Embassy in Washington said. 'Following the devastating flooding in Texas, His Majesty King Charles has written to President Trump to express his profound sadness at the tragic loss of life,' the embassy said. Following the devastating flooding in Texas, His Majesty King Charles has written to President Trump to express his profound sadness at the tragic loss of life. He offered his deepest sympathy to all families who have lost loved ones and paid tribute to courage and selflessness… — British Embassy Washington (@UKinUSA) July 7, 2025 'He offered his deepest sympathy to all families who have lost loved ones and paid tribute to courage and selflessness of the emergency service and volunteers.' Operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, said they lost 27 campers and counsellors, confirming their worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. With additional rain on the way, more flooding remains a threat in saturated parts of the US state. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise as crews looked for many people who were missing.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store