Ministers respond to calls from campaigners and local politicians to add new amendment to historic bill
Hillsborough Memorial at Anfield
Hillsborough Memorial at Anfield(Image: PA)
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The landmark Hillsborough Law is set to be strengthened as it makes its way through Parliament. In September, the ECHO travelled with family members of those unlawfully killed at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 to see the historic moment that a new Hillsborough Law was officially laid in Parliament.
The new law, officially known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill then had its second reading in the House of Commons earlier this month. It has now moved on to what is known as the Committee Stage, where a bill is scrutinized in detail and can be amended.
Family members of the 97 Liverpool fans who were unlawfully killed at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 have long campaigned for a change in the law to make public officials more accountable where major disasters and tragedies have occurred after they had to fight for decades to get to the truth of what happened to their loved ones. Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party put the establishment of such a new law in their election winning manifesto in 2024 and the bill was finally laid earlier this year.
It will mean that a new duty of candour will be established, which could see public officials receive criminal sanctions if they fail to act honestly or tell the truth.
The new law will also mean that families attending inquests and inquiries will have access to the same level of legal representation as the authorities and organisations they are going up against.
While there have been fears that the legislation could be watered down as it makes its way through Parliament, the government has now confirmed it intends to strengthen the powers of the new law as it moves through the committee stage.
An amendment put forward by Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones seeks to add local authorities and councils applicable to the new duty of candour. She says this addition came after campaigning by the Hillsborough families and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram.
In exclusive comments to the ECHO, the minister said: "Liverpool will forever be synonymous with Hillsborough - not just for the terrible loss of 97 innocent lives, but for the decades-long fight for truth that followed.
“The Hillsborough Law is about finally putting that injustice right - changing the balance of power so that ordinary people are no longer forced into ‘David and Goliath’ battles with public authorities just to get basic answers. A legal duty of candour is at the heart of that change: a clear obligation on public officials to tell the truth, to fix mistakes, and to bear responsibility when they get it wrong.
“But we must listen to the Hillsborough families, and they have always been clear: the duty of candour has to apply wherever the state investigates itself - including through the work of local authorities.
"We have been clear that any amendments will only be brought forward to strengthen this Bill, and this amendment does that.
“I want to pay tribute to Mayor Steve Rotherham for the way he has campaigned for it. Steve has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Hillsborough families for years."
Also speaking about the new amendment, Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “We cannot ever undo the heartbreak of Hillsborough, or erase the long shadow of injustice that followed. But we can honour the courage, dignity and persistence of the Hillsborough families, and of leaders in this city like Steve Rotherham who refused to let their voices be ignored.
“This amendment is a direct result of their determination. By strengthening the Bill in this way, we are strengthening the Hillsborough Law itself. It will mean that when councils carry out reviews into serious cases where there has been significant risk to life or corruption, they are legally bound to come forward with what they know and admit when they fell short.
"It makes the Hillsborough Law stronger, and takes us one step to ensuring that the legacy of the 97 is written not just in our memories, but into the law of the land.”
The Hillsborough Law will complete its journey through the Commons Committee stage on December 11 and the government is not expecting any delays to its progress.