“London Safe” The Day Before 7/7 Bombings

The head of MI5 told MPs a day before the July 7 bombings in London that the country faced no imminent terrorist threat, it has been reported.

Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller gave the assurance to a gathering of Labour whips less than 24 hours before suicide bombers hit the capital, The Guardian said.

The newspaper said “a number” of people who attended the evening meeting at the House of Commons had spoken to it about what she said.

Shadow home secretary David Davis seized on the report to renew demands for an independent inquiry into the run-up to the attacks, which killed 52.

“It is absolutely necessary for the continued security of the British public that we know precisely if, when and how security failures occurred and for action to be taken to minimise the risk of it happening again,” he told the paper.

Dame Elizabeth announced last month that she would step down in April after four and a half years in the top job.

She insists that her decision to leave the job was taken before the 7/7 attacks.

Asked about the report, a Home Office spokeswoman simply repeated Home Secretary John Reid’s tribute to the spy chief in the wake of her retirement announcement.

“Her contribution to the security of our nation has been invaluable and I pay tribute to her unstinting efforts on our behalf,” he said.

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