“We have shown that true power belongs to ordinary people. We did not stay silent, we were not ground down, we were not afraid to speak truth to power.” That was the joint statement from Hillsborough campaigners Charlotte Hennessy, Sue Roberts, Steve Kelly and Margaret Aspinall after MPs passed the Hillsborough Law, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, at third reading on Tuesday.
The bill puts a duty of candour on public officials and authorities. Those who lie or evade during inquiries into tragedies would face prosecution. It is named for the 1989 disaster that killed 97 people in a crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Police leaders were found to have spread false narratives blaming Liverpool fans, and withheld evidence of their own failings. The bill now goes to the House of Lords before it can become law.
Burnham’s first Commons speech
Andy Burnham, who is on course to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister on 20 July, spoke in the Commons for the first time since returning as an MP. He called the legislation “truly a rewiring of the state” and said the lessons apply to other scandals where institutions protected themselves rather than people.
“We have had a situation in this country where people suffer the trauma of the initial bereavement, the incident that took their loved ones away, and then they are re-traumatised by the behaviour of the state,” he said. “We can’t take that hurt away tonight. But we can put decency back at the heart of the British state, and that is what this bill does.”
He thanked Starmer, saying the prime minister had “honoured his commitment to the Hillsborough families.” Burnham first brought the same law to Parliament as an unsuccessful private member’s bill in 2017.
The intelligence services dispute
Why did it take so long? The sticking point was how the duty of candour applies to the security services. Relations with the families broke down in January after the government proposed letting agency chiefs decide whether individual officers could give evidence. The families rejected that, citing the Manchester Arena inquiry, where the chair said MI5 had given an inaccurate account of intelligence it held.
A compromise was brokered over the weekend. If MI5 bosses believe information should be withheld on national security grounds, the inquiry chair hears their application. The officers still cannot fail to provide the evidence. Justice Minister Catherine Atkinson said the amendments make the duty apply “to all individual intelligence officers while establishing secure procedures for the disclosure of sensitive information.” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has signed off on the bill.
The Conservatives were unimpressed. Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy called the late amendments a “shambles” and said the government had made “contradictory promises” to campaigners and to the agencies. He accused Starmer of being “desperate for a legacy.”
Starmer answered that families had waited “years too long.” “I made a promise to these families, looked them in the eye, and said I would bring this forward as soon as I could. And I’ve kept that promise,” he told MPs. He had promised to pass the bill by 15 April 2025, the 36th anniversary of the disaster. Downing Street now wants it on the statute book by April next year.
Legal aid
The package also expands legal aid for bereaved families. Justice minister Sarah Sackman said the £185m increase, the largest in a decade, will give families legal support through the inquest process.
Sources
- Burnham hails Hillsborough law as ‘rewiring of the state’ as MPs approve bill
- Starmer and Burnham hail Hillsborough Law as MPs give approval
- Rewiring Britain? Burnham must start with a Hillsborough Law
