Manchester Blast May Affect Election Chances of Tories Lobbying to Cut Migration

The recent deadly attack in the UK city of Manchester may affect the results of the upcoming general election giving the ruling Conservative party, which is campaigning on an anti-migration platform, an edge over its rivals, Lord Alfred Dubs, a member of the EU External Affairs Sub-Committee in the UK House of Lords, told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A deadly blast, which the police are treating as a terrorist attack, occurred outside the Manchester Arena at the end of US singer Ariana Grande's concert on Monday night, leaving at least 22 people dead and 59 injured. Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

"I hope it will not affect the result of the upcoming election. There is a risk that the Conservatives that are most anxious to cut immigration will say 'we are letting people in [ who are] terrorists and now that’s a problem.' I have said it before, so it might [affect the elections], but I hope things will calm down … sense will prevail but there is a danger of that," Lord Dubs said.

The lawmaker expressed hope that this attack would not divide the country and fuel Islamophobia.

"I think we have got to be absolutely determined to not let it divide our community and our society. We cannot let the Islamophobia spread. We must insure that we stay tolerant," the lawmaker stated.

The Guardian/ICM survey showed on Monday that the Tories lost 1 percent while Labour gained 5 percentage points of the projected vote since May 15, with the two main parties now at 47 against 33 percent respectively.

On April 18, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced her decision to hold an early parliamentary election on June 8 to overcome divisions in the parliament and succeed in the negotiations with the European Union on Brexit.