Yesterday, terror returned to our streets, this time in Liverpool. Shortly before 1100 a homemade bomb exploded outside Liverpool Women's Hospital. Taxi driver David Perry survived the blast but his passenger was killed. The man, named as Emad Al Swealmeen, who is believed to have manufactured and brought the device into the taxi, died at the scene. Police said the motivation for the attack was unclear but it had been declared a terrorist incident. Home Secretary Priti Patel said the threat level had been raised from "substantial" to "severe", meaning an attack was highly likely, because the explosion in Liverpool was the second incident in a month. No doubt much more will be learnt in the days ahead. The main and sad task for me today was to attend the funeral of a dear friend, Cllr Gloria Marsh MBE. She was the most remarkable woman, glamorous and loved by all. Her service to the local community were numerous, and they were helpfully listed by the Reverend Tony Higgins, who gave a quite excellent eulogy during the Service at the United Reformed Church in Swanage. Gloria's second family was the lifeboat station, where two of her relations serve today. To Gloria, the crew were known as "my boys". She supported and loved them all, often manning the phone in the early hours to take calls from concerned relatives while the boat was on a shout. The crew would come home to warm tea and food, provided by Gloria. It was perhaps appropriate that shortly before the Service began, the lifeboat was called out to rescue a sloop, whose elderly skipper needed help. However, there were enough lifeboat members to act as pallbearers and, gently and respectfully, they carried Gloria's coffin into and out of the church. The Service was well attended, as you'd expect, and I found it very moving. I shall miss Gloria, as will her family and many, many friends, and of course all those associated with the lifeboat. Rest in peace, Gloria. In other news, all over-40s in the UK will be offered a third dose of a Covid vaccine, after advice from the government scientists. The move would top up protection and help limit the spread of the virus over winter. Three doses cuts the risk of infection by more than 93 per cent, according to new data from the UK Health Security Agency. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also said 16 and 17-year-olds, initially offered only a single dose, should now receive a second. In transport news, sources told the BBC that the government was scrapping the eastern leg of HS2 between the Midlands and Leeds. The Transport Department would instead announce a new rail plan on Thursday, involving £96 billion of funding for new routes in the North and Midlands. The European Union is to step up sanctions against Belarus in response to an escalating migrant crisis on the border with Poland. Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed the move, saying that vulnerable migrants were being exploited in a "hybrid war" that is "intensifying".