The UK government has introduced the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill to Parliament, following years of campaigning by Figen Murray, the mother of Manchester Arena bombing victim Martyn Hett. The legislation, known as Martyn’s Law in honour of her son, will require venues with a capacity of more than 200 people to have a plan in place to deal with a terrorist attack. Murray said she was “one step closer to making public spaces safer for everyone”, while home secretary Yvette Cooper praised her and her campaign team for their tireless work.
Under the proposed law, venues with more than 200 people will need to train staff in procedures like identifying safe exit routes and locking windows and doors. Those with a capacity of over 800 will have to take additional security measures, including the use of CCTV or security staff. Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox and co-founder of Survivors Against Terror, described the bill as a “major breakthrough”.
The meeting between Murray and Labour party leader Keir Starmer led to his promise to act swiftly to introduce the legislation, and Murray hailed his fulfilment of that promise. Murray had walked 200 miles to London from the site of the bombing to campaign for the legislation, which emerged from the inquiry into the attack. Security minister Dan Jarvis said the aim was to protect against “an enduring and complex threat picture”.
The introduction of Martyn’s Law was prompted by the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, in which 22 people died during an Ariana Grande concert
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