Figen Murray – Campaigner for Martyn’s Law asks ‘is it worth it?’
Figen Murray has been campaigning for nearly six years for changes in the legislation on protective security against terrorist attacks for publicly accessible premises. Here she outlines the impact this has had on her life.
It is the end of yet another busy day doing an online presentation, a few teams calls, dozens of emails, posts for LinkedIn and Twitter (I refuse to call it X) and fitting life in between all this.
Martyn’s Law may have started as an online petition in my kitchen almost six years ago, but it is now full on. My leather desk chair pays testament to that as it is now peeling and it is no surprise, as I seem to be surgically attached to it!
When I don’t work from home, I can usually be found on a train travelling somewhere in the UK, sitting in hotel rooms eating a meal deal on the bed, tucking into yet another unhealthy conference spread before heading back on the train, usually late in the evening to catch the cheaper off-peak train, and yes, tucking into yet another meal deal. It is astonishing how one gets used to this lifestyle.
But is this kind of life worth it? Rushing here, there and literally everywhere?
Yes it is!
On 7 May 2024, we as a campaign team began walking from Manchester Arena to No. 10. It was a protest march, supported by hundreds of people.
We walked 16 days, 7 to 8 hours a day in all weathers. It damaged my already compromised hip to the point where I ended up having a hip replacement done.
Was it worth it? Yes it was!
The walk certainly got the attention of the government as both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer met with us on the final day! We were no longer ignored. But the elections were looming, and a new government came with a new leader who gave me a promise to get Martyn’s Law done as a matter of urgency. The first reading materialised on 12 September. These seven seconds were so important as they symbolised the beginning of the end of the campaign.
The second reading was on 14 October and my husband and I, alongside Brendan Cox and Nathan Emmerich, sat in the gallery listening to Martyn’s Law being debated. It was emotional, heart-wrenching, heart-warming, exciting, very humbling and also incredibly embarrassing as my name was mentioned what felt like hundreds of times.
I felt embarrassed as this legislation would never have gone very far without Brendan Cox and Nick Aldworth. It would not have progressed without the loving support of particularly my husband, but also my children. Whilst I was the person having started all this as a very broken-hearted mum, I certainly am not on my own any more. In fact, so many people stand alongside us now.
However, my days are constantly filled with dread and anxiety. The journey is far from over. The journey through the rest of its parliamentary journey has many hurdles to overcome yet. There is resistance in some quarters. There are objections from some corners. Despite the overwhelming unanimous cross-party support for the legislation, words such as “onerous”, “costly”, “financial burden” and “cost of living” bounced threateningly off the chamber walls.
Someone suggested the enhanced tier should be tried and tested first. A big No to that from me as this would mean rolling out a red carpet for terrorists to attack our softer targets. The resistance from small businesses is palpable, so we were led to believe. However, we provided evidence by hundreds of standard tier venues writing to their MPs saying that it is not onerous or costly or burdensome to implement the legislation.
The fact that we have had 43 near misses speaks for itself. The law of averages should inform us that sooner or later we will not prevent an attack in the future and more families will end up with urns in their homes or graves to tend to. More people will be injured, and dozens will be traumatised forever.
Brendan Cox and I are giving evidence during the next stage of the legislation and our hope is that, alongside Nick Aldworth’s very strong written evidence, we can get our point across, urging the government to make this legislation as watertight as possible, make it fit for purpose, close the loopholes, and give the SIA the legislative power and all the resources they need to carry out their regulatory role to the best effect. It is important that MPs now do their job and make the right decisions to get the legislation to a point where it is robust and where it does not compromise safety.
Martyn’s Law will save lives, but it is now up to the government to make the legislation fit for purpose and not allow the safety of its citizens to be compromised.
