Priti Patel has confirmed this afternoon that the UK’s terrorism threat level has dropped from severe to substantial, meaning an attack is now considered ‘likely’ rather than ‘highly likely’. In the written statement to Parliament, Patel said:

“The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) has reduced the UK national terrorism threat level from severe to substantial. This means that a terrorist attack in the UK is likely.

JTAC previously raised the UK national threat level from substantial to severe following two terrorist attacks in the UK in quick succession, in October and November 2021.

When the threat level is at severe it means an attack is highly likely.

JTAC judges that, despite these two attacks, the current nature and scale of the UK terrorist threat is consistent with the level of threat seen prior to the attacks.”

The threat level was previously raised in response to the failed Liverpool taxi bombing and the murder of Sir David Amess.