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Manchester Arena Inquiry

Completed
Chair Sir John Saunders Judge / Judiciary
Established 07 Sep 2020
Final Report 02 Mar 2023
Commissioned by Home Office

Public inquiry into the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017, which killed 22 people and injured over 1,000 others.

Evidence & Impact
The Manchester Arena Inquiry was established following the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017 that killed 22 people. Sir John Saunders published the final report on 2 March 2023, making 169 recommendations across emergency response, security arrangements, and public safety.

The government accepted 164 recommendations (97%) and accepted 5 in principle (3%). Home Secretary Suella Braverman stated in Parliament on 6 March 2023 that the government would 'carefully consider the report's findings and recommendations in full' and committed to ensuring lessons were learned. A recommendations tracking dashboard was subsequently published.

Progress updates from February 2026 indicate that 78 recommendations (46%) are recorded as completed and 91 (54%) remain in progress. Key developments documented include the publication of Joint Operating Principles Version 3 for responding to terrorist attacks, establishment of a new multi-agency radio control system, and introduction of the Ten Second Triage system for major incidents.

Several working groups and programmes have been established, including the Clinical Response to Major Incidents group and the Stronger Local Resilience Forum trailblazer programme. The Security Industry Authority has worked with the Health and Safety Executive to develop enhanced first aid training incorporating the inquiry's recommendations.

However, multiple recommendations show limited documented progress nearly three years after publication. Several relating to legislative changes, including extending Security Industry Authority licensing and reforms to the Inquiries Act 2005, remain under consideration. The development of a healthcare standard for events, while noted as progressing with research projects complete, is not due for publication until 2026. The Clinical Response to Major Incidents group has revised its timeline to 2027 due to resource constraints.

The Ministry of Justice has stated there are no current plans to increase maximum sentences under the Inquiries Act, despite this being recommended. Various guidance documents and approved professional practices are noted as being developed but have not yet been published according to the available evidence.
Reforms Attributed to This Inquiry
- Joint Operating Principles (JOPs) Version 3 published and signed off by tri-services following the inquiry, containing additional principles for responding to Marauding Terrorist Attacks
- New multi-agency radio control talk group established, shared between police, fire and ambulance services and monitored 24/7 in control rooms
- Ten Second Triage system introduced for first responders at major incidents, including appropriate visible identifiers and triage labels
- Sector-specific Emergency First Aid at Work certificate developed by Security Industry Authority with Health and Safety Executive, incorporating inquiry-recommended training areas
- Clinical Response to Major Incidents (CRMI) working group established to implement healthcare-related recommendations
- Public Access Trauma Kit contents clinically reviewed and finalised, with specifications published on PROTECT UK website
- New operational and tactical commanders training devised and launched to police forces
- Stronger Local Resilience Forum trailblazer programme launched in spring 2025 with five participating LRFs: Cumbria, Greater Manchester, London, Northumbria and Suffolk
Unfinished Business
- Recommendation on extending Security Industry Authority licensing requirements for CCTV monitoring and security contractors - noted as requiring legislative change but no evidence of progress
- Recommendations relating to reforms of the Inquiries Act 2005 - Cabinet Office noted as considering wider reforms but no specific action documented
- Recommendation to increase maximum sentence for Inquiries Act offences - Ministry of Justice stated there are no current plans to increase the maximum sentence
- Multiple recommendations relating to the development of a healthcare standard for events - research projects noted as complete but standard not yet published (due 2026)
- Legislative changes on analgesia - consultation document being drafted by Department of Health and Social Care but not yet published
- National Events guidance - noted as currently being developed but not yet published
- Command and control approved professional practice (APP) - due for launch in 2025 but not yet published
AI-generated narrative. Generated 26 Mar 2026 using claude-opus-4. Assessment is indicative, not authoritative.
Live tracking hearings, witnesses and documents synced daily from the inquiry website Open live tracker Search evidence
2 years, 5 months Duration
£36.3m Total Cost
291 Witnesses
196 Hearing Days
1,346 Report Pages
Inquiry Website Official Statement Terms of Reference
Government Response
Accepted 164
Accepted in Part 5
Total Recommendations 169
Data last updated: 15 Apr 2026 · Source
Data verified: 11 Jun 2026 (Claude)
How to read this

Government Response tracks what the government said it would do (accepted, rejected, etc.).

Full methodology

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All Activity (53)
22 May 2017
Manchester Arena Attack

Terrorist attack at Manchester Arena killed 22 people.

22 Oct 2019
Inquiry Announced

Home Secretary announced a public inquiry.

Source
22 Oct 2019
Chair Appointed

Sir John Saunders appointed as Chair.

07 Sep 2020
Hearings Begin

Public hearings commenced.

17 Jun 2021
Volume 1 Published

Volume 1 report on security published.

Source
03 Nov 2022
Volume 2 Published

Volume 2 report on emergency response published.

Source
02 Mar 2023
Volume 3 Published

Final volume on radicalisation of the attacker published.

Source
08 Jun 2023
Government Response

Government published response accepting recommendations.

Source
Total Inquiry Cost (Cumulative) £36,323,455
to Aug 2023 Cumulative Total Oct 2019 - Aug 2023
Cost Breakdown (to Aug 2023)
Inquiry Legal Costs £12,933,544 Panel remuneration & Counsel to the Inquiry
Core Participant Legal Costs £12,025,040 Legal funding for core participants
Staff £2,253,186
Accommodation £2,319,627
Technology £5,344,006
Other £1,448,052
Total inquiry cost £36.32 million. Inquiry ran from Oct 2019 to June 2023. Chair: Sir John Saunders. Three volumes of reports published 2022-2023. S40 payments (Core Participant legal costs) totalled £12.03 million.
Cost History
Period Total Inquiry Legal CP Legal Source
Aug 2023 £433,226 £161,032 £50,193
Aug 2023 (cum.) £36,323,455 £12,933,544 £12,025,040
Mar 2023 £2,900,968 £1,518,494 £169,977
Mar 2022 £13,359,502 £4,525,677 £4,421,346
Mar 2021 £15,871,460 £4,700,572 £6,326,137
Mar 2020 £3,758,299 £2,027,769 £1,057,387
Clear

Recommendations (9)

MAI-9
Accepted
Enact Protect Duty into law
Recommendation

A Protect Duty, as set out above, should be enacted into law by primary legislation.

Published evidence summary
- The available evidence indicates that implementation is in progress rather than complete. The Act has received Royal Assent and preparatory guidance has been published, but its duties had not commenced and the official guidance states that compliance is not yet legally required.
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as Martyn's Law, received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, legislation.gov.uk).
- The Home Secretary stated that the legislation "delivers upon the lessons from the Manchester Arena Inquiry to keep people safe" (Landmark anti-terror legislation gains Royal Assent, Home Office, 3 April 2025).
- The dashboard states the Government intends an implementation period of at least 24 months before the Act comes into force, to allow the regulator function to be established (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The Home Office's April 2026 statutory guidance states that the implementation period is at least 24 months from Royal Assent and that there is no legal requirement to comply until commencement (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: Statutory Guidance, Home Office, 15 April 2026).
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MAI-17
Accepted
Review BTP jurisdiction overlaps
Recommendation
BTP and all Home Office Police Services should conduct a review of the areas in which their jurisdictions overlap. In the case of areas which have a significant footfall by members of the public which are not part of the … Read more
Published evidence summary
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The dashboard states that all Home Office forces with Category 1 locations (those with significant footfall) have been identified, with written and signed Memoranda of Understanding detailing jurisdiction and primacy (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- MOUs have been agreed with Greater Manchester Police, West Yorkshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary, stored electronically within the BTP Op SABRE app and control rooms (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
Home Office (Primary) British Transport Police Police Services
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MAI-18
Accepted
Address BTP systemic failings from Volume 1
Recommendation

BTP should address the systemic failings identified in Volume 1, so as to ensure that they are not repeated.

Published evidence summary
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- British Transport Police stated that 37 key deliverables were identified by the SABRE project team, and all 37 are now complete (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
British Transport Police (Primary)
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MAI-20
Accepted
Review licensing for security contractors
Recommendation

Consideration should be given to whether contractors who carried out security services should be required to be licenced.

Published evidence summary
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The dashboard states this recommendation is now complete, without further detail on specific actions taken (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- A Home Office consultation on licensing of contractors who carry out security services and in-house CCTV operators ran from 18 December 2025 to 12 March 2026 (Manchester Arena Inquiry: Monitored recommendations 7 and 8 consultation document, Home Office, December 2025).
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MAI-50
Accepted
Address Arena failings identified in Volume 1
Recommendation

Improvements, to the extent that they have not already been made, should be made at the Arena to address the failings identified in Volume 1. Specific consideration should be given to how to address my concerns in relation to complacency.

Published evidence summary
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The dashboard states that the Arena and every SMG venue now has a dedicated security manager required to complete an Advanced Diploma in Counter-Terrorism Risk Management, and all venues use a risk assessment toolkit (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- SMG has introduced a digital system for real-time monitoring of patrols and an audit trail, with all staff required to undergo ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) training (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
SMG (Primary)
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MAI-51
Accepted
Address Showsec failings identified in Volume 1
Recommendation

Improvements, to the extent that they have not already been made, should be made by Showsec to address the failings identified in Volume 1. Specific consideration should be given to how to address my concerns in relation to complacency.

Published evidence summary
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The dashboard states that all Showsec staff must undertake ACT Security training before working and undergo annual refresher training, with new members at the Arena required to complete in-person venue familiarisation (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- Showsec has implemented a system whereby staff are asked at each shift whether they observed any hostile reconnaissance (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
ShowSec (Primary)
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MAI-64
Accepted
Create centralised NaCTSO training library
Recommendation

NaCTSO should create a centralised library of training materials.

Published evidence summary
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The ProtectUK platform has been created and populated with guidance (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The platform continues to evolve to meet user needs and respond to new legislative requirements including under the Protect Duty (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
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MAI-65
Accepted
NaCTSO guidance on terrorism risk assessments
Recommendation

NaCTSO should issue guidance in relation to the completion of risk assessments addressing the threat of terrorism.

Published evidence summary
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The dashboard states that the Risk Management Process has been completed and uploaded to ProtectUK, and is currently being reviewed and aligned to ISO standards (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
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MAI-161
Accepted
Review CCTV monitoring SIA licence requirements
Recommendation

The requirement that only those monitoring CCTV under a contract for services need to hold an SIA licence should be reviewed.

Published evidence summary
- The Government's implementation dashboard records this recommendation as accepted in full with delivery status "Completed" (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- Home Office Ministers committed to reviewing recommendations MR7 and MR8 on licensing of security contractors and in-house CCTV operators (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- A public consultation on these monitored recommendations ran from 18 December 2025 to 12 March 2026, considering options ranging from status quo to mandatory business licensing (Manchester Arena Inquiry: Monitored recommendations 7 and 8 consultation document, Home Office, December 2025).
Security Industry Authority (Primary)
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