Policing minister to 'prioritise' Keyham firearm consultation

The new Policing Minister has said she will 'prioritise' making an official response to the consultation on firearms reform, made in the wake of the Keyham tragedy, after intervention from Plymouth's MP Luke Pollard.

In a letter to Mr Pollard, Dame Diana Johnson, Labour's Crime and Policing Minister, said she recognised how the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport had worked "tirelessly" on behalf of the families of those killed by Jake Davison on August 12, 2021 and on behalf of his constituents.

She has written to him saying it was her intention that the Government "will publish a formal response to that consultation as soon as we are able to."

Nearly a year after Plymouth's senior coroner issued a report recommending changes to the licensing laws in the wake of the Keyham shooting, along with evidence from the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the previous Conservative Government said it would not take on board all the recommendations.

Instead, the then Policing Minister Chris Philp claimed "shotguns are already subject to significant controls" and that further changes to the Firearms Act were "unnecessary" and would have a "negative impact" on their legitimate use by farmers and those involved in "rural pursuits".

He wrote that the Government had given "careful consideration to the recommendations" but while public safety was "of course, our chief concern" it was "also right that our approach should reflect the fact that the vast majority of licensed firearms holders are law abiding and cause no concern".

Instead he announced that "other significant recommendations" made by Mr Arrow following the five week inquest would be "subject of an open, public consultation" launched on June 29, 2023. At that time Mr Philp said the consultation would run for eight weeks - over the summer holidays - effectively concluding in late August 2023.

In response gun control advocates like the Gun Control Network, said it was "predictable" that the Government would "always prioritise the interests of shooters over public safety".

Since Mr Philp's announcement in June 2023 no further information was released as to the conclusion or findings of the public consultation, leading gun reform groups to claim that the entire process had been kicked into the long grass by the Conservative Government.

This claim was compounded when it was later revealed that the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Therese Coffey let slip to the BASC [British Association for Shooting and Conservation] that she had been instrumental in stopping the recommended changes to the gun laws.

Earlier his year gun reform groups claimed in the General Election was an opportunity for rival parties to push through firearm reforms if they formed the next Government.

After repeatedly raising his concerns with the previous Government about the delay of the consultation's findings while he was in opposition, Mr Pollard said he has now secured a commitment from the new Policing Minister for this work to be restarted.

In her letter to Mr Pollard, 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 his campaign with bereaved Keyham family members and a recommendation of senior coroner Ian Arrow.

Mr Pollard 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."

In her letter, Dame Diana stated: "I do intend that the Government response will contain information about both the responses to each of the consultation questions and also the Government’s view on all of the issues covered, informed by the consultation responses.

"We will also set out what action we intend to take, or changes we intend to make, as a consequence. I am afraid that I cannot commit to a definite timetable for this at this stage but, as we discussed at our meeting, I see this as a priority issue."

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