Arena victimâs mum relieved as bill enters Commons
The mother of a Manchester Arena attack victim has celebrated the introduction into Parliament of âhugely importantâ public safety laws she has spent years campaigning for.
Ministers are to bring the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill to the Commons for a first reading later.
Referred to as Martynâs Law in memory of one of the 2017 Manchester bomb victims Martyn Hett, the reforms require venues with a capacity of more than 200 to take steps to ensure they have a plan in place in case of an attack on their premises.
Martynâs mother, Figen Murray, said the billâs progress meant âwe are one step closer to making public spaces safer for everyoneâ.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the reforms would help âprotect staff and the public from terrorism and ensure we learn the lessons from the terrible Manchester Arena attack and the inquiry that followedâ.
She paid tribute to Ms Murray and her campaign team for working âtirelesslyâ to push for the law.
Ms Murray said Sir Keir had honoured his promise to introduce Martynâs Law, after the pair met the day before the UK general election in July.
âHe said he would act quickly and he has,â she said.
The meeting came after Ms Murray walked 200-miles from the site of her 29-year-old sonâs death, alongside 21 other people at the Ariane Grande concert at Manchester Arena in 2017, all the way to London to campaign for Martynâs Law.
Under the draft legislation, all venues with a capacity of more than 200 people would be legally required to have plan to deal with an attack at their premises.
Other requirements at this level include training staff on âsimple and low costâ procedures like identifying safe exit routes and locking doors and windows.
Venues with a capacity of more than 800 people will be subject to greater requirements, including measures like CCTV or security staff.
Brendan Cox, husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, and co-founder of Survivors Against Terror, said the introduction of the bill was a âmajor breakthroughâ.
âIt will finally close the security loopholes that put us all at risk,â he said.
âSurvivors of terror attacks arenât looking for sympathy â they are looking for change that makes it less likely that others will endure what they have.â
âCommitmentâ
Security minister Dan Jarvis said the âguiding principleâ behind Martynâs Law was to protect the public against âan enduring and complex threat pictureâ.
He said: âI think it is very much needed. It is one of the [findings] that came out of the Manchester bomb inquiry. It has come about because of the inspiring campaign of Figen Murray and her campaign team in response to the tragic loss of life.
He added: âThe guiding principle is around public safety against an enduring and complex threat picture.
âItâs seven years now since the Manchester arena bomb, but the prime minister made a commitment a few weeks ago to Figen Murray, and we are honouring that commitment today.â
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