Rishi Sunak accused of breaking promise to Manchester Arena sufferer’s mom

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stands accused of breaking his promise to the mother of one of the Manchester Arena victims after calling a General Election.

Labour MP Jess Phillips slammed the PM minutes after he finally bowed to calls for a General Election, announcing the country will go to the polls on July 4. Figen Murray is campaigning for tougher security measures at public venues in a bid to stop another terror attack after her son Martyn Hett died in the horror blast. She met with Mr Sunak this morning after her arrival in London on the seventh anniversary of the terror attack.

Ms Phillips claims the Tory leader spoke to her today and vowed to follow through on his promise before hours later making his announcement, which seems sure to bring an end to his era of leadership.

Parliament will be prorogued on Friday, meaning dozens of Bills will collapse. The new Parliament will be summoned to meet on Tuesday 9 July, when the first business will be the election of the Speaker and the swearing-in of members.

Throughout this pre-election period, particular care is taken around new announcements or decisions that could influence voters. The MP took to X in the wake of the Downing Street statement, hitting out at the timing having earlier met with the campaigner.

She tweeted: “Rishi Sunak today stood in front of a bereaved mother and told her he would get her legislation on the statute books before the summer recess…” Ms Murray last week spoke to the Mirror about her campaign to prevent further terror attacks as she heads off on a 200-mile walk to Downing Street.

The trek was full circle moment for the mum, who was given an OBE for her counter-terrorism work, starting just four metres from where Islamist terrorist Salman Abedi blew himself up at the Ariana Grande concert. “I’m going to look Rishi Sunak in the eyes and ask him what his problem is with this legislation,” she says. “I’m going to ask him directly, ‘Why is this not happening?’

“We’re nearly at the seventh anniversary, I can barely remember Martyn’s voice. How has it not happened yet? It’s no longer acceptable.” On what Martyn would think, she said: “He would be touched I’m starting it here where he died. He would smile at his little mother doing this task and he would be proud.”

The determined mum is campaigning for the government to introduce Martyn’s Law – which calls for venues to take more steps to keep the public safe. She said before setting off: “I said five years ago ‘If nothing happens I’ll walk to London’. I said it five years ago and I can’t believe I’m now having to do it.”

The General Election is a chance to change the country for the better and end Tory chaos, Keir Starmer said. In a speech following Mr Sunak’s announcement, the Labour leader said: “Tonight, the Prime Minister has finally announced the next General Election, a moment the country needs and has been waiting for and where, by the force of our democracy, power returns to you.

“A chance to change for the better your future, your community, your country. It will feel like a long campaign, I am sure of that, but no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about.” He went on: “Together we can stop the chaos, we can turn the page, we can start to rebuild Britain.”