After a long period of drafting and review, the Home Office has now published the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 section 27 statutory guidance.
The statutory guidance is available to view on GOV.UK and sets out the scope of the legislation, the requirements for qualifying premises and events, information on the responsible person’s responsibilities and reference to the regulatory approach ahead of further guidance from the SIA.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also known as Martyn’s Law – named in memory of Martyn Hett, one of 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack – aims to keep people safe by ensuring that publicly accessible premises and events are better prepared and protected in the event of a terrorist attack. It also requires larger premises to take appropriate steps to reduce their vulnerability to a potential terrorist attack. The new law follows extensive campaigning by Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray OBE.
The Act complements existing Home Office, Counter Terrorism Policing (including NaCTSO) and NPSA work to support the delivery of better protective security and counter-terrorism capabilities at venues and public spaces, through non-legislative and voluntary methods across the UK. As part of these efforts, a new qualification has been developed from SFJ Awards and NaCTSO that aims to to provide learners with the knowledge, skills and understanding of the attack methods used by terrorists, how to assess the likelihood of such threats, and what mitigation strategies are available. More information on the qualification can be found here.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent in April 2025, and there is now an implementation period of at least 24 months from that date before it comes into force. As a reminder, there is no legal requirement to comply with the Act until it comes into force, however, those in scope may wish to begin considering the requirements and familiarising themselves with the guidance in advance.
You can find further information on the statutory guidance on GOV.UK – The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 – GOV.UK