UKIP’S Suzanne Evans has claimed that Theresa May "must bear some responsibility" for the terror attack in Manchester.

At the launch of her party’s manifesto, its deputy chairwoman argued that all politicians, who had voted in favour of cuts to policing, including the Prime Minister, should bear some responsibility for Monday's bombing.

Yet moments later, she appeared to contradict herself when she stressed how Mrs May did not bear responsibility for Monday's attack, insisting that only the terrorists were responsible for the atrocity.

At the manifesto in London, Ms Evans was asked what the point was of listing Mrs May's failures as Home Secretary if it was not to suggest she should bear some responsibility for the security failings which had led to the Manchester attacks.

Speaking during a question and answer session after the launch, the party chief replied: "She[Mrs May] must bear some responsibility; all politicians who voted against measures or voted for measures to make cuts bear some responsibility.

"As I said, I think when 9/11 happened we should have had a serious rethink about immigration, it didn't happen.

"Of course, the European Union is equally culpable as well and I also lay a lot of blame at the feet of the commissioners."

Ms Evans said the primary focus of any government and politician has to be to keep people safe.

She added: "Frankly, if they're not prepared to stand up and do what needs to be done to keep people safe then they're simply not fit to govern. I stand by what I say."

But within a minute of making the comments, Ms Evans appeared to backtrack when she was pressed by a journalist.

She said: "I didn't say she must bear…, no; I didn't say what she must bear some responsibility for.

"The only person who is responsible, or people who were responsible, for what happened in Manchester are the terrorists, let me make that absolutely clear,” declared Ms Evans, noting how sometimes people were too quick to blame others but not the terrorists themselves.

She went on: "But the circumstances that allowed them their ideology to breed, that allowed their hatred to spread, politicians should have taken action on that long ago.

"Once again, my worry is that we have this horrific, horrific atrocity, and yet in a couple of weeks' time it will all be forgotten about and those families won't forget; those families will still be grieving.

"My worry is the politicians will move on and nothing will change."

Meantime, Jacqui Smith, the former Labour Home Secretary, said Mrs May's decision to cut police numbers had had "implications for people's safety" although she stressed it was "simplistic" to link the cut in police numbers to Monday's attack.

“It’s pretty clear that my party and I, in fact, think that reducing police numbers by 20,000 isn't something that you can do without implications for people's safety."

Asked if that meant she thought Mrs May had "let people's safety down", Ms Smith replied: "Yes, by reducing police numbers by 20,000, I believe so."

Also at the Ukip launch, party leader Paul Nuttall put the fight against extremism at the centre of his electoral pitch.

He branded radical Islam "a cancer that needs to be cut out" as he pledged to seize the passports of Britons who went to fight for the so-called terror group Islamic State.

He also promised to take "a far more muscular approach" to social integration.

"I believe that anyone who leaves this country to fight for Islamic State should forfeit their passport, their citizenship, and never be allowed to return," declared Mr Nuttall.

He was later challenged over Ukip MEP Roger Helmer's suggestion that "maybe it's time to think the unthinkable" with regards to internment policies for people on the radar of the intelligence agencies.

The party leader replied: "I haven't seen what he said, I don't know where he actually said that.

"What I will say is that we need to get real about the problems that we face in this country.

"What I do fear - there's been an attack in March, an attack this month - this is the future we've got to get used to because the politicians are not prepared to tackle this situation head-on," Mr Nuttall added.