The government has pulled a controversial amendment to the Hillsborough Law.
The Government has withdrawn a controversial amendment to its Hillsborough Law, amid concerns about its impact on intelligence agencies and the duty of candour.
Officially known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, the law would place a duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively cooperate with official investigations and inquiries, to prevent future cover-ups from occurring.
Amendments proposed by the Government brought spies within the scope of the legislation, subject to the approval of the head of their service.
But, campaigners suggested it should be up to the head of an inquiry to decide whether information was relevant, not those within the service, warning that the amendment might allow intelligence chiefs to “hide serious failures behind a vague claim of national security”.
MPs had been due to debate the Hillsborough Law on Wednesday (January 14) but the Report Stage and third reading was pushed back until today (Monday, January 19). This has now been removed from today’s parliamentary agenda as ministers and campaigners try to agree on how to move forward.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.placeholder image
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. | POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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A Government spokesperson said: “This legislation will right the wrongs of the past, changing the balance of power to ensure the state can never hide from the people it should serve and putting a legal duty on officials to respond openly and honestly when things go wrong.
“The Bill will make the police, intelligence agencies and the whole of government more scrutinised than they have ever been. We must get this right to keep the country safe.
“We welcome continued support from victims and their families, making sure the Bill is the strongest it can possibly be while never compromising on national security.”
Campaign group Hillsborough Law Now said: “We welcome the Government listening to the campaign, families, MPs and supporters by withdrawing their security services amendment.
“We shall engage further with Government to ensure the Bill fully applies to the security services whilst not jeopardising national security.”
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