Business Connect Magazine have been following and supporting Figen Murray OBE in her tireless pursuit to bring Martyn’s Law into being. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, also known as Protect Duty, will apply as an anti-terrorism defence of all public venues with capacities catering for over 100 attendees, and has been written as a series of tiers according to size of venue, detailing a specific set of safe-guarding actions those venues would need to adopt by law. We caught up with Figen recently to see how the change in government was having an impact in getting the bill through:

Figen, it’s lovely to meet up again, and congratulations on your OBE. Although the circumstances cast a shadow, it’s obviously an acknowledgement to your hard work and tenacity – and I’d also assume will help with your work in getting the bill actually approved?
“Yes, of course, there is a lot to do. My son Martyn died at the arena attack alongside 21 other victims. For over the last 5 years now I have been campaigning for Martyn’s Law. From my angle Martyn’s Law signifies a set of very simple set of common-sense measures. It’s not rocket science. It’s really a very straightforward piece of legislation that asks for people to be trained, and asks for people to do risk assessments inside and outside a premises. Out of that risk assessment the legislation would ask that an anti-terrorist action plan would then be implemented.

“The plan would enable every single member of that business, from ancillary staff, cleaners, bar staff, security, managers – right up to those business owners, to know what to do in case of an attack. The measures could be to evacuate or invacuate, and although the guidelines and assessments would be followed by the venues, particularly for the larger facilities the process would include the local authority working alongside those venues.”

How is the bill currently doing on its path to becoming law?
“Obviously Martyn’s Law was in the King’s Speech which was absolutely brilliant. It means that it’s part of the new Labour government’s manifesto. We met with Sir Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper and all the other ministers and I had a really positive feeling from that meeting. When I spoke with Keir Starmer, and I’m not a political person at all, I felt this was a person who spoke with integrity, and I felt there was sincerity in what he said. I absolutely believe he is the person to get this done.”

Did you not feel the same from the previous government?
“Rishi Sunak promised me in December 2022 that he would get the legislation over the line quickly, but I suspect so much other stuff got in the way he simply ran out of time. I do believe this would have been carried through by the conservative government, but after the election, and after talking with Keir Starmer, and listening to the new ministers and conversations surrounding the legislation, I feel much more positive about progress now.”

So where do you go from here?
“I still need to keep the pressure up on government to make good on their promises and to keep lobbying until the King has signed the legislation through into law.”

What support are you currently looking for? and from whom?
“I feel incredibly supported by everyone in the security sector. The industry as a whole want the legislation implemented as soon as possible. A lot of venues have already implemented Martyn’s Law as much as they can do, because we don’t yet know what the final guidelines will look like. It’s so important to get that final bit of legislation in place so that everyone can sing from the same hymn sheet. I’m specifically looking for support from people across social media, for people to keep the conversation going between the venues, the government, and all those who have an interest and can engage with the lobbying online.

“I think that as the legislation has already had two public consultations, already had the scrutiny, and been pulled apart several times and worked on as a result of those actions, it’s now a very robust piece of legislation that I hope doesn’t get altered too much.”

All things working out well, how quickly do you think Martyn’s Law can actually become law?
“Being optimistic, particularly in relation to my experiences of the progress so far, the legislation could actually be in place by the end of the year. There have been consultations and processes that the draft legislation has been through, and there’s no reason the final few stages in Parliament can see everything in place and Martyn’s Law in situ by the end of this year.”

Find out more – figenmurray.co.uk

Since 2021, Manchester City Council in partnership with CityCo and Counter Terrorism Policing have delivered ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) training to over 1,800 individuals from over 600 of Manchester’s hospitality businesses Click Here

FURTHER INFORMATION
The ProtectUK website, launched in 2022 to provide a new central hub for counter terrorism and security advice.

Draft guidance and template documents including legislation and explanatory info: gov.uk/government/publications/terrorism

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