May 2024
Philip Day of Laceys Solicitors comments that the announcement of a General Election will no doubt further delay the introduction of new legislation regarding the “Protect Duty”.
Although “Martyn’s Law was included in the King’s Speech earlier this year and a draft Bill was published a year or so ago, no Bill had been introduced to Parliament when the Prime Minister announced that there would be a General Election on 4th July 2024.
Although the proposals appear to enjoy general support across party political lines, none of the main parties’ manifestos (to date) include any mention of “Martyn’s Law” and it remains to be seen what if any priority an incoming Government will give to bringing forward legislation.
Whilst some might welcome a delay in the introduction of what might be perceived as “more red tape and regulation”, the reality is that there is an increasing awareness of the threat of terrorism, how to mitigate the risk of an attack and, if the worst were to happen, how to respond.
Event organisers can expect the relevant authorities to demand that Licence applications, Event Management Plans and even applications for Road Closures address the very issues that “Martyn’s Law” is directed at under the general objective of “Public Safety”.
It may not be “LAW” yet (nor for some time to come) but in many respects, it is already with us…