‘High time’ Martyn’s Law on statute books – campaigners

Campaigners have said it is “high time” Martyn’s Law makes it onto the statute books as they welcomed plans to bring in the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill.

Labour vowed in its manifesto to bring in laws named after Manchester Arena bombing victim Martyn Hett amid a row over years of delays in introducing the legislation and it was announced in the King’s Speech to Parliament on Wednesday.

The proposed measures are in a bid to help protect venues against terror attacks. They would require UK venues and councils to have mandatory training and plans to prevent and protect against such attacks.

I’ve campaigned for this for years and it’s a huge relief to see it at the top of the agenda for the new Government

Mr Hett, 29, was one of 22 people murdered in a suicide bombing at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.

Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray, has been campaigning for the Government to bring in the law and earlier this year walked 200 miles from Manchester to Downing Street to promote her cause.

Ms Murray said she felt “let down” and “misled” after meeting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak , who told her he would introduce the legislation before the parliamentary summer break.

But later the same day he called the General Election, leading to Parliament being dissolved before Martyn’s Law could be enacted.

Ms Murray said: “It’s fantastic to see Martyn’s Law in the King’s Speech. I’ve campaigned for this for years and it’s a huge relief to see it at the top of the agenda for the new Government.

“I met with Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper the day the election was called. They promised me then they would get this done without delay – and I trust them to follow through.

We need to put Martyn’s Law in place as quickly as possible

“Martyn’s Law is a common sense law to make sure public venues have a basic plan around the risk from terrorism. Most people would think that already existed and it should never have taken this long.

“We can all see rising global tensions – and with it the growing risk of terror attacks. We have to legislate for Martyn’s Law as quickly as possible. It is now more than seven years since the attack in Manchester – it is high time we got Martyn’s Law through parliament and onto the statute books.”

The Bill will apply across the UK to “improve the safety and security of public venues and help keep the British public safe from terrorism”, the Government said in documents setting out the plans.

Brendan Cox, co-founder of group Survivors Against Terror, said: “Keir Starmer has taken the first step towards keeping his promise to Figen and the terror survivors who have campaigned for years for Martyn’s Law. But until the law is in place, people are still at unnecessary risk.”

Former counter-terrorism police chief Nick Aldworth said: “Martyn’s Law is a simple, low cost, and effective way of protecting the British people. We know that terrorists are increasingly targeting smaller venues using crude weapons – and so we have to ensure that the law and our protections keep up and keep us safe. We need to put Martyn’s Law in place as quickly as possible.”