The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is to have its second reading in Parliament when MPs meet this afternoon.
Hillsborough families met with Keir Starmer ahead of the Bill being laid before Parliament
Hillsborough families met with Keir Starmer ahead of the Bill being laid before Parliament
View Image
Progress towards a landmark Hillsborough Law will take another significant step forward later today. The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is to have its second reading in Parliament when MPs meet this afternoon.
This represents the first meaningful opportunity for Members of Parliament to debate the contents of the bill. The bill was at last laid before Parliament for the first time in September.
The landmark legislation would hold public officials and authorities accountable for their actions with a new professional and legal duty of candour – meaning they must act with honesty and integrity at all times or face criminal sanctions. At the House of Commons later today, ministers will outline the bill at the start of the debate with a vote expected to determine if it can progress to the next stage of becoming law.
The Hillsborough Law bill will also see the largest expansion of legal aid for a decade for bereaved families – providing non-means tested help and support for inquests, with the costs covered by the public body represented. A legal duty will also be placed on public bodies to ensure their spending is always proportionate, stopping the state from hiding behind unjustifiably large legal teams at inquests and making sure both sides are on a fair and equal footing.
There will also be new guidance on how state bodies and their representatives should participate at inquests, aiming to ensure the state conducts itself with “openness and honesty” with the sole purpose of helping the coroner establish the facts of the case. A new offence would also be created for misleading the public, with criminal sanctions for the most serious breaches.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised to deliver a Hillsborough Law when he was leader of the opposition, speaking at the Labour Party conference in 2022 – after meeting with Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died in the disaster. The pledge was then made part of Labour’s manifesto for the 2024 general election.
Sir Keir had pledged to have the bill on the statute books in time for the anniversary of the disaster in April this year, but this was delayed as discussions and debates between the government and campaigners continued about the provisions within the bill. Those discussions intensified across the summer and right up until an agreement was finally reached.
MPs will debate the proposed law with opposition members to respond to the government’s proposal. At the end of the debate, the Commons decides whether the Bill should be given its second reading by voting, meaning it can proceed to the next stage.
It is possible for a Bill to have a second reading with no debate – as long as MPs agree to its progress. On social media ahead of today’s session, Ian Byrne, Labour MP for West Derby and himself a Hillsborough survivor, said the reading marked a significant milestone in the pursuit of accountability.
He attempted to reintroduce the 2017 version of the bill to Parliament in July. He said: “Next week marks the second reading of the Hillsborough Law.
“A big step forward for all the families, survivors and campaigners. I’m asking all MPs who signed my letter to the PM and the EDM calling for a true Hillsborough Law, worthy of the name, to participate and show their support.
“We must ensure Parliament delivers the legislation that all victims of state cover-ups deserve.” Once second reading is complete the Bill proceeds to committee stage – where each part and any amendments (proposals for change to the Bill may be debated.