We will never waver: Theresa May's speech to MPs

The Prime Minister addressed MPs as they gathered at the usual time inside the Palace of Westminster, which a day before had come under attack from a knife-wielding terrorist.

An hour after MPs had stood for a minute’s silence in honour of the innocent people killed in the attack, Mrs May delivered a statement with details of the atrocity.

Paying tribute to Pc Keith Palmer, who died after being stabbed, she said: “He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten.”

Mrs May said the attacker had been identified as someone known by police and MI5, and the working assumption was that he was inspired by Islamist terrorism.

Mrs May told MPs: “Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy, but today we meet as normal, as generations have done before us and as future generations will continue to do, to deliver a simple message: ‘We are not afraid and our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism’.”

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Live blog: Details in real time, as they emergeArrests as police raid addresses in Birmingham and LondonNick Baines: From a Palace of democracy to an Abbey of prayer, the best and worst of humanityYP Comment: Why Britain will always stand firm against terror – direct attack on democracyPolice in West Yorkshire ramp up patrolsBrother of Yorkshire aid worker murdered by IS calls for calmJo Cox husband says he will remember the policeman, not the killerWorld condemns Westminster terror attackTributes pour in for murdered PC ‘who made the ultimate sacrifice’She said it was still believed that the attacker acted alone and there was “no reason to believe” further attacks on the public were planned.

She added: “His identity is known to the police and MI5 and when operational considerations allow, he will be publicly identified.

“What I can confirm is that the man was British-born and that some years ago he was once investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns about violent extremism.

“He was a peripheral figure. The case is historic. He was not part of the current intelligence picture.

“There was no prior intelligence of his intent or of the plot.”

Mrs May said it was an attack on free people all over the world as she thanked global allies including US President Donald Trump for their support.

“We meet here in the oldest of all parliaments because we know that democracy and the values it entails will always prevail,” the PM said.

“Those values - free speech, liberty, human rights, and the rule of law - are embodied here in this place but they are shared by free people around the world.

“A terrorist came to the place where people of all nationalities and cultures gather to celebrate what it means to be free.

“And he took out his rage indiscriminately against innocent men, women and children.

“This was an attack on free people everywhere, and on behalf of the British people I would like to thank our friends and allies around the world who have made it clear that they stand with us at this time.”

Mrs May praised the police for “heroically” doing their job by stopping the attacker getting access to Parliament.

“We should be clear first of all that an attacker attempted to break into Parliament and was shot dead within 20 yards of the gate,” the PM said.

“If his intention was to gain access to this building, we should be clear that he did not succeed.

“The police heroically did their job.”

Mrs May said that what happened on the streets of Westminster had “sickened us all”.

The PM set out how events unfolded, telling MPs that the attacker drove his vehicle at speed into innocent pedestrians on Westminster Bridge at around 14.40, killing two people and injuring around 40.

The victims admitted to hospital included 12 Britons, three French children, two Romanians, four South Koreans, one German, one Pole, one Irish, one Chinese, one Italian, one American and two Greeks.

Mrs May said the government was in close contact with counterparts in all the countries affected.

Mrs May said the victims also included three police officers who were returning from an event to recognise their bravery.

“Two of those three remain in a serious condition,” she added.

Concluding her statement, Mrs May said that by continuing with life as normal, Londoners and Britons were sending a message to the terrorists that they will not win.

She said: “The greatest response lies not in the words of politicians, but in the every day actions of ordinary people. For beyond these walls today, in scenes repeated in towns and cities across the country, millions of people are going about their days and getting on with their lives.

“The streets are as busy as ever, the offices full, the coffee shops and cafes bustling.

“As I speak, millions will be boarding planes and aeroplanes to travel to London and to see for themselves the greatest city on Earth.

“It is in these actions - millions of acts of normality - that we find the best response to terrorism.

“A response that denies our enemies their victory, that refuses to let them win, that shows we will never give in.

“A response driven by that same spirit that drove a husband and father to put himself between us and our attacker and to pay the ultimate price.

“A response that says to the men and women who propagate this hate and evil ‘You will not defeat us’.

“Mr Speaker, let this be the message from this House and this nation today. Our values will prevail.”