Campaigning Figen Murray arrives in London on eve of Manchester Arena bombing anniversary to call for Martyn's Law

The campaigning mother of Martyn Hett - murdered alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena bombing of 2017 - has arrived in London on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the atrocity after a 200-mile walk to the capital to demand action on proposed new anti-terror legislation in his name.

Manchester and the country will once again pause on Wednesday to remember the innocent lives lost in Manchester. Figen, 62, will use the day to complete the final steps of her long walk to London by visiting Downing Street.

As she set off for London on May 7, she said the country was 'being put at risk' by delays to Martyn's Law, which would require venues and local authorities in the UK to have preventative plans in place to mitigate against terror attacks. A Bill, however, has yet to get beyond draft stage.

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Figen said she planned to hand-deliver a letter to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, urging haste over the Bill after hold-ups over years, adding she would be setting off for No. 10 at 9am on Wednesday. She had waited 18 months since Mr Sunak told her in a phone call that he was supportive of the legislation.

Figen's been joined on the walk by her husband and other family members, as well as survivors of other terror attacks, and has stopped to pay her respects at locations of other terrorism atrocities along the way.

Murdered MP Jo Cox’s husband, Brendan, urged the Prime Minister to “name a date” for the legislation to be heard by Parliament as he joined Figen on the road. She was also joined along the way by Charlotte Dixon Sutcliffe, whose husband David was killed in the Brussels Metro bombing in 2016.

Mr Cox 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. The draft legislation doesn’t save any lives, so the reason we are all joining is partly because we are inspired by Figen, but also to demand that Government fulfils its promises."

Figen was welcomed to London on Tuesday night by Matt Jukes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing UK and an Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

They announced the news on X, formerly Twitter, saying: "On the eve of the anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack, Matt Jukes greeted Figen Murray as she arrived in central London on the penultimate day of her walk from Manchester. Everyone at CTP applauds Figen for her dedication to protecting the public.

"We have long been advocates for a Protect Duty and continue to work with those who have a share in proposed legislation. Our priority remains protecting the public in the face of an evolving terrorist threat."

Figen, herself, posting on X, said she would be walking to No 10 from 9am on Wednesday. In a video message she said: "We're here, we've done the last full day - roll on tomorrow."

Last year, a draft of the new law was criticised by the Commons Home Affairs Committee. The committee warned that the draft Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill would put small businesses and organisations at risk of closure and fail to “make a significant impact” on preventing attacks.

MPs found the draft Bill, which has different standards based on venue capacity, would require a local village hall to have certain safety precautions, while an outdoor market in a city centre would not. They said it was a “concern” that attacks which had occurred in some parts of the UK, such as in Scotland, would not fall into the draft Bill’s scope.

Since her son’s death, Figen has obtained a masters degree in counterterrorism and received an OBE.

Martyn, a PR manager from Stockport, was 29. He was four metres away from bomber Salman Abedi at the time of the blast. A post-mortem examination concluded he died from 'multiple injuries' and experts said his injuries were 'unsurvivable', the public inquiry into the atrocity was told.

A Home Office spokesperson said they were grateful to Figen for her “tireless support” in bringing forward Martyn’s Law. The spokesperson said: “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."