Figen Murray, the mother of Hakan Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack, has welcomed the inclusion of Martyn’s Law in the King’s Speech on July 17. This bill is one of 39 pieces of legislation that the new Labour Government plans to adopt in the upcoming parliamentary session.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Figen Murray said, “Martyn’s Law will definitely save lives, and I sincerely hope the government will get this done as soon as possible. There are a few more steps it needs to take, but I hope they will be dealt with swiftly.” She also added, “While Martyn’s Law has been in the King’s Speech before, this time it feels different. I am grateful that this new government is picking up the legislation and will run with it. I feel much more positive,” before thanking Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Security Minister Dan Jarvis, and Manchester Central MP and Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell for their support.
The proposed draft Terrorism Protection Bill, also known as Martyn’s Law, will require venues with a capacity of over one hundred people to put measures in place to deal with the threat of terrorism. This will include free online training for staff provided by the government and the need to have a counter-terrorism plan in place in case the unthinkable happens.
Martyn Hett was just 29 years old when he was killed by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. He was one of the 22 victims killed in the blast that occurred inside the venue.
Four years ago, an inquiry into the Manchester terrorist attack highlighted gaps in the venue’s risk assessment and security planning due to insufficient consideration of terrorism as a potential threat. There were also insufficient security sweeps of the venue during the Ariana Grande concert, allowing the perpetrator to go undetected before his attack.
A counselor by profession, Figen decided to swap her day job for a mission to promote peace, tolerance, and improved security across the UK following her son’s death. The Istanbul-born mother began campaigning for changes to the law to ensure UK venues are better prepared for terror threats. Her first step was to launch an online petition, which received over 23,000 signatures.
Since then, Figen has been working with a team of co-campaigners and regularly meeting with government officials and ministers to discuss making it a legal duty for large venues to incorporate terror threats and public safety into their risk assessments. Although the previous Conservative government had pledged to pass the draft bill, it never materialized. The lack of progress prompted Figen to walk 200 miles from Manchester to London earlier this year to reignite awareness of Martyn’s Law and press Rishi Sunak to act.
Figen started her walk on May 7 and arrived at Downing Street on May 22 – the seventh anniversary of Martyn’s death. Due to the general election, the Conservatives ran out of time to pass the legislation, and the baton has now passed to Labour. The fact that Martyn’s Law has been mentioned in the King’s Speech means it will be a priority for the new government.
Alongside her campaigning, Figen has also completed a Master’s Degree in counter-terrorism, which gave her deeper insights into how the current law works and what is needed to improve it. Figen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Salford University in 2022 and made a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM). She was also awarded an OBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List.