Mother of Manchester Arena victim urges Sunak to pass terror law before election

The mother of a Manchester Arena bombing victim has urged the Prime Minister to promise that new terror legislation will be passed before the next election.

Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, met Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer after Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

Martyn’s Law, named in tribute to the 29-year-old who was one of 22 people killed at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017, would require venues and local authorities in the UK to have training requirements and preventative plans against terror attacks.

Ms Murray said: “The Prime Minister promised me today that he would introduce Martyn’s Law to Parliament before summer recess. This is important and welcome.

“What the Prime Minister was unable to promise was that this legislation will be passed before the next election.

“Draft legislation doesn’t save lives, and introducing it doesn’t make good on the Government’s pledge to make us safer.

“I urge the Prime Minister to act with urgency to get this done.”

It comes as speculation mounted on Wednesday that the Prime Minister was set to call a general election.

Sir Keir wrote to Mr Sunak after a “very positive” meeting with Ms Murray.

He said the Labour Party “wholeheartedly” supports her campaign and the Tory leader should work with him to “deliver on that promise without further delay”.

“As you know, today marks the seventh anniversary of the Manchester Arena Bombing – an appalling act of terror which took 22 innocent lives and injured over 1,000 people,” Sir Keir wrote.

“In the aftermath of that terrible attack, our nation was united in grief. The city of Manchester was shocked to its core. And families faced the unimaginable pain of learning that parents, siblings and children would never return home.

“Like you, I met one such family today. Figen Murray and her family have shown incredible strength since the loss of her son, Martyn Hett. Their campaign for Martyn’s Law has shown that a positive legacy can emerge from that dark day in our nation’s history.

“The Labour Party wholeheartedly supports the tireless campaign by Figen – alongside Survivors Against Terror – to make Martyn’s Law a reality. It will be an important step to ensuring people feel safe at events, and it is right that the Government delivers on its promise to legislate for it.

“Like Figen and her family, the Labour Party wants to see Martyn’s Law on the statute book as soon as possible. To that end, I am writing to confirm that we are happy to work with you and your Government, through the usual channels, to agree this as a standalone bill and ensure it is given parliamentary time as a priority.

“If time is allocated after the upcoming recess, we will work constructively with the Government to ensure this bill is passed swiftly.

“You will recall the promise you made to Figen Murray in December 2022 to put this legislation into place. I urge you to work with us to deliver on that promise without further delay. The victims and their families deserve nothing less.”

Speaking to Ms Murray at Parliament, Sir Keir said that if there is a general election and a change of government, the Labour Party will pass the law.

He said: “We will push this Government as long as they exist… because this is a cross-party issue it is capable of going through very quickly. You deserve nothing less.”

Ms Murray replied: “Terrorism is just absolutely awful. Nobody should be in a situation like ours, where we have our son’s ashes on a bookshelf at home. That just isn’t right.

“Five years of campaigning, I was hoping I was going to get a really positive answer. Whilst it was semi-positive, it wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. So I’m pleading with you that you get this done if this present government is not going to.”

In a later statement, she said: “While (Sir Keir’s statement) is very encouraging, we don’t want to wait for a new government to get this done.

“With all-party support and public security at risk, there is no excuse for not getting this done now.”

Before the meetings, Ms Murray had completed a 200-mile walk to Downing Street and delivered a letter to the Prime Minister as part of a campaign for Martyn’s Law.