Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2021 Comments on the Manchester Arena Inquiry Report
The comments made by Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Shadow Home Secretary, on 17 June 2021.
Today we have in our thoughts the 22 children and adults who were murdered and the hundreds injured in the Manchester Arena attack. We will always remember them, and their families who live with the pain of loss every single day. We thank all those people who responded so bravely on the night and who have done so much to help ever since.
Learning the lessons from this horrific act, doing everything we possibly can to try and ensure it can never happen again, is a duty we owe to those who have been lost.
The report is correct that the ultimate responsibility for the events of 22 May 2017 lies with the vile perpetrators. However, we must look closely at the findings and what must change. It is heartbreaking to read in the report that ‘there were a number of missed opportunities to alter the course of what happened that night. More should have been done.’
Every necessary step must now be taken to embed these tragic lessons into the practice of everyday security. We will look closely at the recommendations and see how Labour can best play a role in helping to secure the changes necessary.
