Keyham consultation is a ‘priority’, Minister says after intervention from Luke Pollard MP

15th November, 2024

The Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson MP, will ‘prioritise’ making an official response to the Keyham consultation on firearms reform, after Luke Pollard MP held a meeting with her to discuss the issue.

In a letter to Mr Pollard following the meeting, Dame Diana said that the official response to the consultation will set out ‘action’ and ‘changes’ that the government will make, informed by the consultation responses.

The last government effectively stopped all work on the consultation many months prior to the general election, pushing this work into the long grass. Luke raised concerns about this delay when he was in opposition and now has secured a commitment from the new Policing Minister for this work to be restarted.

The Home Office’s consultation on firearms licencing ran in summer 2023. It sought the public’s views on recommendations made by the Senior Coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct, following the Keyham tragedy of August 2021.

In her letter to Luke, Dame Diana also confirmed that new mandatory training at the College of Policing will be introduced this month to improve the quality of firearms licencing decisions. The training will apply to all police forces, and was a key plank of Luke’s campaign with bereaved Keyham family members and a recommendation of Senior Coroner Ian Arrow.

Luke Pollard MP, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said:

“The Keyham consultation is too important to kick into the long grass like the last government did.

“I have met with the new Policing Minister, and I know she understands the strength of feeling in our city. The commitment she has made on the Keyham consultation is an important step forward, as is the additional police training she has brought in.

“Since the Keyham tragedy, I have campaigned alongside the community here to reform Britain’s gun laws for the better, so that a tragedy like this never happens again.”

You can read more about this story below:

Gun controls tighten in response to Plymouth shootings – BBC News

Policing minister to ‘prioritise’ Keyham firearm consultation – Plymouth Live