The Government has launched a consultation to help work out the best way to introduce ‘Martyn’s Law’ across the UK.
Named in honour of Martyn Hett, who was one of the 22 victims that sadly lost their life during the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, ‘Martyn’s Law’ will require premises to fulfil what the Government has called “necessary but proportionate” steps, according to their capacity, to help keep the general public safe.
It was approved back in September 2022, thanks to a campaign spearheaded by Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray.
Today, we announced how #MartynsLaw will help protect public spaces from terror attacks.
Named in of honour of Martyn Hett, who lost his life in the Manchester Arena attack, this is what the law will do ⤵️
The new law will “scale-up preparedness for terrorist attacks” and make sure the public is protected – but the Government says it’s keen to do this without affecting small businesses.
The way Government ministers have proposed to do this is to consider premises either ‘standard tier’, meaning they have capacity of 100-799, or ‘enhanced tier’, with a capacity of 800 or more.
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The consultation on these updated approaches – which launched this week, and is open to the public to have their say until 18 March – will seek views to make sure the new requirements “do not place undue burdens” on some of the country’s smaller businesses, all while still protecting the public.
A consultation has been launched to work out how to best introduce ‘Martyn’s Law’ across the UK / Credit: gov.uk
“Simple steps save lives,” commented Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, as the consultation officially launched.
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“Martyn’s Law will help protect the British public from terrorism, and make sure public premises are better prepared in the event of a terror attack [but] I want to make sure that our proposals are balanced and proportionate, and that’s why our updated approach is easy to implement, and better tailored to individual businesses.
“I’d encourage smaller premises to share their feedback on these crucial changes, as your views will help ensure that Martyn’s Law stands the test of time.”
🗓️22 May 2017
Twenty-two people were killed in a cowardly terrorist attack at Manchester Arena. Martyn's Law will increase security in public venues so other families don’t have to experience such a loss.
We want to hear your views by 18 March on how we can make the UK safer👇
The Government’s launching of this new consultation to update and eventually help make ‘Martyn’s Law’ a reality comes after it was revealed that thousands of Mancs have now been equipped with counter terror skills after signing up for specialist Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) training.
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The Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) training – which is a partnership between Manchester City Council, CityCo, and Counter Terror Policing North West – aims to equip staff at a wide range of companies across the city centre with skills to “identify and mitigate potential risks” that will help increase response in the event of a terror attack.
Close to 500 venues and more than 1,000 members of staff have been trained as part of their commitment to playing their part in making Manchester safer, the Council confirmed.
You can have your say in the ‘Martyn’s Law’ consultation on the gov.uk website here.
Featured Image – gov.uk
News
How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
News
Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
Emily Sergeant -
7th February 2024 
