Martyn’s Law: what UK venues need to know now

London — 20 October 2025. The UK’s new counter-terror legislation—formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025) and widely known as Martyn’s Law—received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, creating new duties for certain premises and events to plan, train and prepare for terrorist incidents. An implementation period is underway before the requirements come into force.

What is it?

Martyn’s Law (formerly the “Protect Duty”) was developed following attacks including the 2017 Manchester Arena and London Bridge incidents. It applies to publicly accessible locations—places the public can enter by right or permission, paid or free—and introduces proportionate preparedness measures.

Who’s in scope?

The Act uses two compliance “tiers” tied to capacity: Standard Duty (smaller premises/events over a stated threshold) and Enhanced Duty (larger premises/events). Each tier has specific expectations for notification and public-protection procedures, with Enhanced sites required to implement defined public-protection measures “so far as reasonably practicable.” Detailed Home Office/ProtectUK factsheets explain the duties.

What it means for operators

Expect to: notify the regulator (SIA) where required; adopt and maintain public-protection procedures; train staff; and develop robust plans for responding to an attack. Sector guidance from ProtectUK sets out what “good” looks like for both Standard and Enhanced sites and will be updated through the rollout period.

Timelines

After Royal Assent, government signalled a staged implementation window (commonly referenced as around 24 months) to stand up the regulator function and give organisations time to prepare. Keep watching official channels for commencement dates and transitional arrangements.