United Kingdom

Manchester Arena Inquiry: findings and what happened next

The terrorist attack at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017, in which 22 people were killed.

Country

United Kingdom

Type

public inquiry

Established

2019

Chaired by

The Hon Sir John Saunders

Report published

2 March 2023

What the inquiry found

1. Volume 1, Security for the Arena, published on 17 June 2021, found missed opportunities by the arena operator SMG, its stewarding contractor Showsec and British Transport Police. The chair said that had the attacker been identified as a threat, "the loss of life and injury is highly likely to have been less."^4,5
2. Volume 2, Emergency Response, published on 3 November 2022, said "It is likely that inadequacies in the emergency response prevented his survival" of one person, and found only a remote possibility that another could have survived with different treatment.⁶
3. Volume 3, Radicalisation and Preventability, published on 2 March 2023, found that MI5's failure to act swiftly led to "this significant missed opportunity" to take action that might have prevented the attack.^1,7
4. After Volume 3, the MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said "I am profoundly sorry that MI5 did not prevent the attack."⁷

Key recommendations

• The Home Office said the three volumes contained "well over 150 recommendations".²

What happened next

• 2 March 2023The Home Office said it would study the three volumes and their recommendations and was "committed to maximising learning from the Inquiry."²
• 3 April 2025The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent. The Home Office said it delivered on lessons from the inquiry and required premises and events for 200 or more people to prepare for an attack, with further duties at 800 or more, after a 24 month implementation period.³

Read the report: www.gov.uk/government/publications/manchester-arena-inquiry-volume-3-r

Sources

1. GOV.UK, Manchester Arena Inquiry Volume 3: Radicalisation and Preventability (2 March 2023)
2. UK Parliament (Home Office), Publication of Volume 3 of the Manchester Arena Inquiry Report (2 March 2023)
3. GOV.UK (Home Office), Landmark anti-terror legislation gains Royal Assent (3 April 2025)
4. GOV.UK (Home Office), Manchester Arena Inquiry Volume 1: Security for the Arena (17 June 2021)
5. ITV News, The six key 'missed opportunities' to save lives at Manchester Arena (17 June 2021)
6. The National (PA), Man 'could have survived' Manchester Arena bombing but for emergency services' failures (3 November 2022)
7. NPR, British intelligence missed a chance to stop the 2017 Ariana Grande concert attack (2 March 2023)