Martyn’s Law: How a mother’s campaign will make UK campuses safer
In response to the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, new anti-terrorism measures will soon apply to certain public premises.
Universities and colleges across the UK will be required to adopt anti-terrorism safety measures under Martyn’s Law — new legislation designed to better protect the public in the event of an attack.
The law is named in honour of Martyn Hett, one of 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. It follows more than six years of campaigning by his mother, Figen Murray, 64, of south Manchester.
Officially known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, Martyn’s Law received Royal Assent on 3 April and is expected to take effect in 2027.
The legislation began as an online petition Murray launched after she and her husband attended a concert in Manchester a year and a half after her son’s death. She was ‘horrified’ when venue staff did not check her handbag on entry.
‘How can it be that 18 months after 22 people died — a lot of them children — it’s business as usual and nobody cares about security?’ she recalls thinking.
Curious, Murray began researching venue security and discovered that, at the time, many of those safety measures were optional.
‘I thought, “No, I can’t let this continue,”’ she says.
The Act applies to a wide range of public venues and events — from schools and restaurants to places of worship — and will be enforced by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) once the implementation period ends.
Building on the Home Office’s wider counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, Martyn’s Law introduces a tiered system determined by the number of people ‘reasonably expected’ to be present at any one time.
Under the ‘standard’ tier — for premises where 200 to 799 people may be present — requirements are simple and low-cost, such as locking doors and windows and identifying safe places to shelter.
Premises hosting 800 or more people fall under the ‘enhanced’ tier. In addition to the standard duties, they must take further measures to reduce their vulnerability to terrorist attacks and minimise the risk of physical harm if one occurs. These may include bag searches, CCTV monitoring, and vehicle checks.
ProtectUK, the government’s counter-terrorism advice service, notes, ‘This Government has been conscious of the need to ensure the Act strikes the right balance between public protection and avoiding undue burdens on premises and events.’
Enhanced-tier requirements will not apply to childcare or to primary, secondary, and further education settings. With safeguarding measures already in place — including evacuation procedures and access controls — these premises will remain in the standard tier regardless of capacity.
Higher education establishments, by contrast, will fall under the enhanced tier if they can reasonably expect 800 or more individuals — including students, staff, and visitors — because they are publicly accessible and often used for events.
While those within scope can begin preparations, there is no legal obligation to comply until the Act comes into force.
‘We are currently reviewing the requirements and preparing for the implementation of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, a spokesperson for Oxford Brookes University told Hybrid.
‘While we do not disclose specific details of our security arrangements, we already have a wide range of measures in place. The safety and wellbeing of our students, staff, and visitors remains a top priority for the university.’
Beyond the legislation itself, Murray has campaigned tirelessly to bring the law into effect.
As part of her effort, she walked 200 miles from Manchester Arena — now the AO Arena — to 10 Downing Street, arriving on 22 May 2024, the seventh anniversary of the bombing, to deliver a letter to the Prime Minister calling for stricter security at public venues.
On her shoulders for the 16-day journey was a bag she had bought for Martyn for an upcoming trip.
‘The week of his death, I was meant to take him to the airport because he was going backpacking around North America on his own for two months,’ Murray explains. ‘So I bought him that little rucksack. When Martyn died, that became really important to me.’
Murray, who describes her son as having a ‘zest for life,’ says that after a change of heart, Martyn enrolled in a media studies course at a university in London.
‘He always was into dancing, singing, and drama, and wanted to become an actor and performing artist. But [he] changed his mind one day and said, “No, because I could potentially become an unemployed actor — and poor.”’
Murray had been a psychotherapist for 23 years when the bombing occurred. After that fateful event, she was unable to continue her work.
‘The day my son was killed, my job died as well,’ she says.
Two years after Martyn’s death, Murray enrolled at the University of Central Lancashire and went on to earn a master’s in counter-terrorism. ‘When Martyn died, I suddenly had all these questions, she explains.
‘Who are terrorists? Why do they even want to kill other people? I realised the only way I’m going to get answers is to educate myself.’
Murray now gives educational talks at schools and colleges, warning students about the dangers of online radicalisation. She also explains the forthcoming Act, including what they can expect.
‘The schools are very interested in Martyn’s Law and are increasingly making preparations and doing practice runs of lockdowns, which is music to my ears, she says.
‘Martyn’s death was not in vain. I know that this legislation, named after him, will save many lives in the future.’
The Home Office will continue to publish statutory guidance throughout the implementation period. For more information, visit ProtectUK.