Ukip's noisy General Election manifesto launch

It is a party which lost its only MP this year, but its supporters are certainly a feisty lot.

Loud boos and jeers greeted journalists who dared to suggest the manifesto launch, held before Thursday's one minute silence, was exploiting the Manchester atrocity for political gain.

Ukip's leader Paul Nuttall insisted going ahead before other parties resumed national campaigning was the "best way of telling them [the terrorists] they won't win".

The party's deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans went on to suggest Theresa May "must bear some responsibility" for the attack because of police cuts on her watch as home secretary.

However, Ms Evans later clarified her statement, saying that she meant the "circumstances" of the attack.

All headlined-grabbing stuff and it certainly seems that the party, which lost ground after the Brexit vote, believes the terror attack in Manchester has put public safety and immigration issues back to the top of the political agenda.

The main focus of the manifesto launch was security and the threat from radical Islam.

Paul Nuttall promised an extra 20,000 troops and 20,000 extra police.

He said he favoured a "far more muscular approach to social integration", wants to ban the burka and said he made no apology for repeating his claim that radical Islam was "a cancer that needs to be cut out".

"It is not good enough to light candles and proclaim that extremists will not beat us," he insisted.

"Action is required on multiple fronts."

For those still mourning in Manchester, such an approach and the timing of Monday's launch might seem ill-judged, but Paul Nuttall believes he is merely saying what other politicians dare not - and it will persuade voters to back his party.