King's Speech: 'Martyn's Law' takes step forward as Labour commit to new anti-terrorism legislation

Sir Keir Starmer has committed to introducing 'Martyn's Law' under a Labour government, after a new anti-terrorism bill featured in the King's Speech.

During the speech, King Charles said legislation would be introduced to improve safety and security of public venues to 'keep the British public safe from terrorism'.

The 'Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill' will enact 'Martyn's Law', requiring large venues to put in place anti-terrorism measures to tackle terror threats.

What is Martyn's Law?

Martyn's Law is named after 29-year-old Martyn Hett, who was one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.

The new legislation aims to improve protection against terrorism in public places.

This includes improving security against terror threats, training staff with free online training provided by the government, and a requirement that all venues have a counter-terrorism plan.

Under the proposals, there will be different requirements for premises, based on the number of people they can hold.

Premises with a capacity of between 100 and 799 will be considered 'standard tier', and those with a higher capacity of 800 will be classed as an 'enhanced tier'.

Within 'standard tier', venues will need to undertake low-cost effective measures such as training, information sharing, and completion of a preparedness plan.

Meanwhile, 'enhanced tier' venues will be required to undertake an additional risk assessment that will inform the development and implementation of a thorough security plan.

Figen Murray has been campaigning for change since 2019, after an online petition calling on increased security checks in public venues, reached over 23,000 signatures.

Since then she has been working with campaigners, meeting with government officials regularly to formulate how the law could be implemented.

She was awarded an OBE in the 2022 New Year's Honours List for her work in counter-terrorism.

In May 2022, Martyn's Law was confirmed to proceed in Queen's Speech, setting out the then government's planned legislative programme.

Ms Murray then spoke with the then Prime Minister over the phone in December 2022, where Rishi Sunak said he was committed to improving security measures.

However, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and a number of leadership changes in government, led to various delays in bringing legislation forward.

As a result, Ms Murray took the decision to walk 200 miles from Manchester Arena to 10 Downing Street to meet with Mr Sunak in May this year.

Upon arrival in Downing Street, she said: 'It's been a long time coming... today I want answers'.

However, Mr Sunak refused to commit to a timeframe, and just hours after meeting with Ms Murray, he announced the General Election on July 4.

Ms Murray told ITV News that she felt "let down by all the promises that were made and broken".

Responding to the comments by the bereaved mother, the PM insisted "there's no change to the timeline" he promised Ms Murray.

Mr Sunak said he's still "working towards bringing forward Martyn's Law... We've got an election, and the election's in the beginning of July and my plan is very much to bring that law forward."

Sir Keir Starmer also met with Ms Murray during her visit to London, telling the House of Commons "we must make [Martyn's Law] a reality as soon as possible."

Laying out the government's priorities under Labour in parliament on 17 June, King Charles highlighted the importance of 'keeping the British public safe from terrorism'.

However while His Majesty made reference to improving safety from terrorism within public venues, a specific date for any new legislation is yet to be decided.

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