Martyn's Law: Figen Murray writes for the Manchester Evening News (2025)

'The time has come to let go of the intense pressure of the last few years...I will be starting to grieve for Martyn'

Campaigning Figen Murray today writes exclusively for the Manchester Evening News after new counter-terrorism legislation in her son's name to keep the public safe against the threat of terrorism finally became law.

Martyn's Law has been a six-year labour of love for Figen, her family and her team. Her son Martyn - one of 22 innocent lives lost in the Manchester Arena bombing of 2017 - inspired her to demand real and lasting change in venue security and counter-terrorism event planning.

Figen even walked to Downing Street to make sure politicians of all colours heard her call.

Martyn's Law received Royal Assent on Thursday (April 3) to become the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. The result, she says, will hopefully stop other families from going through what Figen and her family did after one of the darkest days in Manchester's recent history.

Writing for the Manchester Evening News, Figen says it's now time to free herself from the pressures of the campaign and slowly start the grieving process for Martyn, who was 29.

She reveals the touching gift she was given at Downing Street by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer - and how no one should feel sorry for her.

At 11.10am on Thursday morning, the most important sentence I have been waiting six-plus years to hear was finally spoken.

The Speaker of the House of Commons said 'I have to notify the House, in accordance with the Royal Assent Act 1967, that His Majesty has signified his Royal Assent to the following Acts and Measures - Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025'.

Six years and three months of work, all culminating in these few words. Spoken in seconds. Making my heart definitely skip a beat.

And looking at the campaign team and some of the people in the Home Office, a few of them were tearing up. That was so great to see as I know everyone around me had worked so hard on this legislation. The immense meaning of that sentence was relief on everyone's face.

After many interviews it was time to see the Prime Minister at No 10, a building I had not entered before.

On two occasions in the past I came to drop off a letter. This time I bore a gift for the Prime Minister - a photo book we had made about the walk with a personal message from me. To my big surprise, the Prime Minister handed me a framed photo of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 with a personal handwritten message on it.

Such a very thoughtful gift that completely overwhelmed me. It will of course have a special place in our home.

The last few months have been challenging and tiring with many trips to London to sit in the gallery at the House of Commons to listen to the various stages of the legislation. I was told beforehand it will be difficult to listen to some of it as not everyone was in agreement with the legislation.

I felt okay, actually, as I recognised the importance of everyone being able to say what they need to - democracy in action.

One MP implied - quite rightly - that the government should not be churning up legislation out of pity for victims. Although the comment hurt, I appreciated his honesty. It did make me reflect, however, on how I introduce myself at conferences. I used to simply say that I am Martyn's mum.

Now I introduce myself as Martyn's mum, but I say I am so much more and then I proceed with a list of things I have done, accolades I have received, roles I play in various parts of the security sector. I mention my Masters in counter-terrorism and my Honorary Doctorate.

The comment made by this person in Parliament made me realise that I am not someone people need to feel sorry for. I am an educated person able to contribute to conversations about security in an informed way. By no means an expert, but definitely a professional person.

The debate then went to the House of Lords and again, my husband and I attended every session sitting in the gallery and listening. Yet again things were in part difficult to hear, but again I came to the conclusion that this is a process that has to happen.

It also made me realise that nobody can say that this legislation has been hurried through. It has been through a public consultation. It then went through the Home Affairs Select Committee scrutiny process.

Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE

As a result of this a second public consultation was carried out. But in the end, Sir Keir Starmer gave me his word on the seventh anniversary that if he was to be elected as PM, he would prioritise this and that is exactly what he has done.

I reflected a lot over the past few years. So much has happened. There was so much love and support out there.

Brendan Cox [the widower of murdered MP Jo Cox] and Nick Aldworth [former National Coordinator for Protect and Prepare at Counter Terrorism Policing] became my main co-campaigners. My husband Stuart became, as he describes it, my 'number two' and did (and still does) an absolute sterling job.

Martyn's Law has been a full-time job for a number of years now and both Nick and I have not been strangers to any platform offered to us as we hammered down the message about Martyn's Law, talking to tens of thousands of people.

We both travelled up and down the country sitting on panels, presenting and generally talking with people about the legislation. It has been quite relentless, as both of us felt so determined to talk to as many people as possible. International interest grew and a few presentations happened abroad. More will undoubtedly come.

A late train home from London back to Manchester on Thursday night felt a relief. There was even some comedy as we had three minutes to run down the stairs, down a long corridor and up the stairs again. Stuart ran ahead with the luggage, he ran left, I ran right. I suddenly could not see him but yelled through the crowd - and suddenly he emerged.

It was a hilarious moment that somehow snapped me out of my stress. I had been stressed for some days ahead of the big day.

Anxiety was a constant companion despite my calm composure. Meeting the minister, sitting in the gallery witnessing everything, talking to lots of people non-stop about the legislation, giving endless interviews. It has been tense to say the least. I am not a natural when it comes to smalltalk. It is always a big effort.

Friday felt different. I was interviewed live on BBC Breakfast and basically told the nation I will be starting to grieve for Martyn. So many people reached out on many different platforms to wish me well on this next chapter.

The time has come to let go of the intense pressure of the last few years. Work on the legislation started six years and three months ago with a simple online petition and two years later, I realised it would become very intense. That is when I decided to take my emotions out of the equation. I had to stay completely focussed on the task at hand.

This meant I had to put my grief and my feelings of sorrow and sadness into a box, tie it up safely and place it on a shelf. I could simply not allow my emotions to get in the way of the task at hand, and the task had grown into a giant. Hand on heart, I am no stranger to being busy.

I raised five children, had a full time job and had to run my home. I did not ever imagine I could be any busier in those days, but I was wrong! The intensity of the past few years was simply off the scale. Now, looking back, it has been a completely crazy journey. Memories kept flooding back - two Teams calls at different times with Priti Patel in a side room during the Manchester Arena Public Inquiry, Teams calls with the Home Office during Covid.

There were Teams calls with two different security ministers, writing articles for different publications, meeting Suella Braverman and Tom Tugendhat, a phone conversation with Rishi Sunak when he was Prime Minister, the protest march from Manchester to London.

I now feel tired beyond belief.

I feel a new sense of freedom from something big that I let go of. It is not in any way meant in a negative way. But I have a sense of 'Martyn, it is done'.

A sense of having done my duty to him. I could not save him that fateful day when he lay on a cold stone floor unconscious and slowly dying. Rightly or wrongly, I will always feel guilty and ashamed as a mother that I was not there for him when he really needed me.

I feel I betrayed him as I was fast asleep in the moments he was dying. How can a mother ever reconcile this? But this legislation will hopefully stop other families having to go through what we and the other Manchester families are going through on a daily basis.

I would like to thank the Manchester Evening News and all its readers for their steadfast support. I just want to thank everyone.