Mother of Manchester Arena attack victim to end 200-mile walk at Downing St

Figen Murray is expected to meet with Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday.

Figen Murray, the mother of Manchester Arena bombing victim Martyn Hett (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

The mother of a Manchester Arena bombing victim is set to arrive at Downing Street to conclude a 200-mile walk from the spot where her son died as part of a campaign for new terror legislation.

Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, set off from the arena at 11am on May 7 with the intent to look Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “in the eye” and call for the implementation of Martyn’s Law.

The law, named in tribute to the 29-year-old who was one of 22 people killed at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017, would require venues and local authorities in the UK to have training requirements and preventative plans against terror attacks.

Ms Murray is expected to meet with Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday, with the end of her 16-day journey marking the seventh anniversary of her son’s death.

Ms Murray said she had waited 18 months since Mr Sunak told her in a phone call that he was supportive of the legislation, which has yet to get beyond draft stage.

She has been joined by numerous supporters throughout her walk, including murdered MP Jo Cox’s husband Brendan and Charlotte Dixon Sutcliffe, whose husband David was killed in the Brussels Metro bombing in 2016.

Joining Ms Murray on the second half of her trek, Mr Cox, whose wife Jo was murdered by a right-wing extremist outside a West Yorkshire library in June 2016, said he had been “inspired” by the grieving mother.

Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: “It shouldn’t come to this, frankly. The reality is that Government knows there’s this loophole in our security, it has promised to fix it, it has got draft legislation but it hasn’t put that to Parliament and until that is implemented, nobody is safer.”

A Home Office spokesperson previously said: “As set out in the King’s Speech, we are committed to bringing in Martyn’s Law – legislation that will better protect the public from terror attacks, and we are grateful to Figen Murray for her tireless support of this issue.

“It is important that our new law stands the test of time and is a fitting tribute to those who have campaigned for it. That is why we have consulted on how we can protect the public without putting unnecessary burdens on smaller businesses.

“We are now in the final stages of drafting this legislation, and it will be brought in as soon as possible.”