A plain-English refresher on what Martyn's Law will ask of venues

Law firm Trethowans has published an overview explaining Martyn's Law — the everyday name for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. The Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 and is named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack. Explainers like this are useful because they translate the Act into terms that everyday venue operators can understand.

The Act sorts premises into two tiers based on how many people may reasonably be expected at the same time, staff included. The standard tier covers premises with 200 to 799 people. The enhanced tier covers 800 or more. The Security Industry Authority will act as the regulator. Its notification process is not yet live, so there is nothing to register right now.

If you run a pub, church, hall, cinema or event, the first useful step is simply working out roughly how many people your site holds when it is busy. That figure tells you which tier you are likely to fall into, and it shapes what you will eventually need to think about. Nothing is enforceable yet, so this is a chance to get familiar without pressure.

The duties are expected to commence in spring 2027, though the exact date is still to be confirmed. Use the time to read reliable overviews, estimate your capacity and start thinking about simple, sensible precautions. Explainers are a helpful starting point, but they are not a substitute for professional advice on your own circumstances.