The King’s Speech on Wednesday, July 17, will serve as a guide to what legislation the Labour Government has in mind after its July 4 election victory.
The private security industry in general and campaigners for Martyn’s Law in particular will wait to see if that proposed law, a Protect Duty in the Home Office jargon, a legal requirement on premises to take steps to counter terrorism, will be part of the Speech.
Mike Bullock, CEO of the guarding and monitoring services contractor Corps Security said: “Our hopes for the new Labour Government are enhanced commercial assistance for businesses by delivering a long-term economic plan, and of course, for Martyn’s Law to finally be passed.
“The legislation was proposed in December 2022 to strengthen the safety requirements in venues that hold over 100 people. It was recently the seventh anniversary of the Manchester Arena bomb attack that took the lives of 22 people, including Martyn Hett, the son of Figen Murray.
“The previous Government committed to passing the law, but there have been delays furthered by the election. Figen tirelessly campaigned for the bill to finally become law, and in May members of Corps, including Corps Consult executive director Mike Bluestone, joined her to raise awareness and march 200 miles from Manchester to London.
“We hope that Figen’s determined campaigning to strengthen security services in venues across the country will successfully make the bill into law under the new government.”
Mike Bullock, pictured, was among guarding company chiefs featured in the June edition of Professional Security Magazine in a debate about the Real Living Wage and pay more generally in the guarding sector.
As featured in the August edition of Professional Security Magazine, Labour’s new Home Secretary Yvette Cooper lost no time in announcing a Border Security Command, to co-ordinate the Home Office’s work to ‘stop the boats’ crossing the English Channel. That announcement served also as a signal that Labour intends to devote energy, as the previous Conservative government of PM Rishi Sunak did, to combat illegal immigration. Jonathan Thomas, Senior Fellow at think-tank the Social Market Foundation said: “Any new legislation aimed at people smugglers will be primarily to demonstrate that [Sir Keir] Starmer means it when he says he will ‘smash the gangs’. Actually smashing the ‘gangs’ though will unlikely be achieved through national legislation, and will likely require international cooperation that will be much more difficult, and will take much longer, to put in place.”
In a blog just before the July 4 election was called on May 22, Rick Muir, director of the think-tank the Police Foundation made the case for volunteering by citizens to have more of a place in the policing of the UK. He pointed to how the Metropolitan Police have ‘started to recruit a new category of volunteer called Community Based Volunteers who do not possess the powers of specials, but who require less vetting and burdensome onboarding, and who can be deployed in frontline neighbourhood roles. Likewise, Kent Police has used the ability to delegate discretionary powers made available under the 2017 Police and Crime Act to create a new category of Community Policing Volunteers.’
