Garden Court North stands in solidarity with victims and families of Manchester Arena bombing on eighth anniversary

22 May 2025

Tributes are laid for the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing at Manchester Victoria Station, following a minute’s silence on 22 May 2025. Credit: Alex Blair / Garden Court North Chambers.

On the eighth anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing, Garden Court North Chambers expresses support and solidarity for the victims and bereaved families.

A minute’s silence will be held twice today (22 May 2025) at Manchester Victoria Station, once at 12:00pm (BST) and again at 22:32pm, the exact time of the fateful attack at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in 2017, which killed 22 people and left more than 1,000 people injured and traumatised.

Manchester Lord Mayor Carmaine Grimshaw and Council Leader Bev Craig will lay floral tributes to the victims “on behalf of the city” at the Glade of Light memorial near Manchester Cathedral, according to Manchester City Council.

A special drone display will be shown over the Glade of Light memorial from 10:19pm to 10:31pm. People are invited to watch it from the Manchester Cathedral Approach from 10pm.

The names of those killed are also set to be read out at services at the Cathedral at 09:00am, 13:10pm and 17:30pm.

A culture of defensiveness

In the aftermath of the disaster, the Manchester Arena Inquiry investigated whether the bombing should have been prevented by the security services.

Garden Court North’s Pete Weatherby KC, representing seven of the families, asserted that the attack was the most complicated terror plot in the UK since the 7/7 London bombings in 2005.

In his final speech, Pete said the bombing involved multiple “moving parts” and that MI5’s assertion that there is no evidence that anyone other than the Abedi brothers was knowingly involved “defied gravity”.

“A healthy organisation welcomes scrutiny; only unhealthy ones seek to avoid it,” Pete said in response to the assertion that the inquest itself would be damaging to morale of MI5. “The idea that the scrutiny or criticisms of a public inquiry might in some way adversely affect national security is not just plain wrong, it is corrosive in that it undermines confidence.”

The refusal to accept that there had been failures by MI5 and Counter Terror Police (CTP) indicated that they were more interested in defending reputations than learning lessons.

There was crucial evidence that communications between the bomber, Salman Abedi, and a convicted IS facilitator more than two years before the bombing, had been in the possession of CTP but they had inexplicably failed to attribute the messages to Abedi. CTP and MI5 also disputed whether this information had been shared between them.

Inquiry Chairman to meet MI5 next month

Pete called on the chair to make robust and forthright conclusions, so that other families will not face the same catastrophic loss of loved ones in the future.

Sir John Saunders, Chairman of the Inquiry, made a series of recommendations after hearing evidence, which included public accountability after MI5 admitted missing a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the bombing.

Earlier today (22 May 2025), Sir John said he is due to meet MI5 in June to discuss his recommendations, the BBC reported.

“If I get what I regard as acceptable answers from the security service in June, I’m very happy to go public,” said Sir John in his first interview since the inquiry concluded.

In September 2024, the UK Government introduced the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ in tribute of victim Martyn Hett, whose mother Figen Murray campaigned for the Act.

The Act, which aims to increases preparedness for terrorist attacks at public venues, received Royal Assent last month but will not be implemented until 2027 following a 24-month implementation period.

Pete, Anna Morris KC, Mira Hammad and Christian Weaver from Garden Court North and Harriet Johnson from Doughty St Chambers represented seven of the bereaved families at the Inquiry, instructed by Nicola Brook of Brodie Jackson Canter Solicitors, and Terry Wilcox of Hudgells Solicitors.

Additional media

Garden Court North Chambers – Manchester Arena Inquiry final speeches

BBC – Arena inquiry chairman to meet MI5 over progress

Sky News – Families of victims of Manchester Arena attack respond to inquiry

GOV UK – Manchester Arena Inquiry reports

For further information, please contact Alex Blair, Communications Manager at Garden Court North Chambers: ablair@gcnchambers.co.uk