UK polls turning out to be a close call, making 'hard Brexit' unlikely

FOR the second time in as many weeks, campaigning for this Thursday's general elections in the UK was temporarily suspended after yet another senseless terrorist attack in the country. Last Saturday's mayhem at London Bridge when a private-hire van rammed into the crowds at the popular attraction claimed seven lives and wounded at least 50 others.

Just two weeks ago, a bomber detonated a device outside the Manchester Arena just after a concert. In March, a month before Prime Minister Theresa May called for the snap election, a man drove a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge, killing four people and then fatally stabbing a police officer.

Terrorism has, and will always be, on the minds of Britons. A recent global poll found that terrorism was the No 2 issue they worried about, after healthcare and before immigration. They remain painfully aware that the London tragedy will not be the last deadly assault by militants, and it's a matter of when, not if, they strike again.