I’m truly humbled by her commitment

THERE are times when, as a Government Minister, you feel truly humbled by the people you meet.

That was certainly the case when I sat down with Figen Murray. Her son Martyn Hett was among 22 people killed at the Manchester Arena terror attack in 2017. I cannot begin to imagine the pain of losing a child, and anyone in her position would be forgiven for wanting to retreat from the world entirely.

But in the years since Martyn’s death, Figen has made it her mission to stop any more people losing a loved one in the way that she and others have in terrorist attacks.

It has seen her travel across the country to urge secondary school pupils to resist extremist ideologies.

She’s also made very clear what she thinks politicians like myself should be doing to improve security in public venues, leading the campaign for what is now known as Martyn’s Law.

The Prime Minister, Home Secretary and I are all 100 per cent behind Figen and are working to improve security measures at public venues and spaces.

We are working quickly to come up with a solution that will honour Martyn’s memory and all of those affected by terrorism.

I am pleased that last week Manchester City Council announced new licensing rules, but we are committed to going further and making Martyn’s Law a reality for all public venues across the UK.

I am committed to working with Figen and others to ensure that we are all safe at the public venues and spaces we enjoy.