The monumental day saw Hillsborough campaigners travel to parliament for the Third Reading
The Hillsborough Law cleared the House of Commons
The Hillsborough Law cleared the House of Commons(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
View Image
The landmark Hillsborough Law, named in honour of the 97 Liverpool fans who were unlawfully killed in the 1989 disaster, has finally cleared the House of Commons on an historic day.
The new legislation, which aims to ensure that no families go through what the Hillsborough families did in their decades-long battle for truth and justice, will introduce a legally-bound duty of candour to force public officials to act with honesty and transparency during inquests and investigations.
Known officially as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, the new law will also expand legal aid so that bereaved families have the equal, publicly-funded representation at inquests.
Today the Bill passed its final stages through the House of Commons - known as The Report Stage and Third Reading. It still must go through the House of Lords in the Autumn, but after months of delays and rows over how the law would be applied, today was a hugely significant moment.
The fact the Bill has passed this crucial stage is a testament to the enduring energy and determination of the Hillsborough families and their fellow campaigners who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes with government officials to overcome major obstacles.
Opening the debate in the House of Commons today, Victims Minister and Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson said: "It is essential there is accountability not denial and so those effected get the support they need not obstruction. Madam Deputy Speaker, we often refer to this Bill as Hillsborough Law and without the determination of the Hillsborough families we would not be debating this legislation today.
"A determination driven by the selfless belief that no other families should ever go through the ordeal they have suffered again. But their story is sadly not unique we have seen scandal after scandal and cover up after cover up where families have had to fight for the truth and their trust in the state to be forthcoming and truthful has been shattered.
"This Bill began with the Hillsborough families but in the last decade their fight has become a movement, a coalition of families and campaigns and those searching for the truth. This Bill belongs to every one of them and I am sure the house joins me in thanking every single family member and campaigner, from the Hillsborough families, the Manchester Arena families, the Grenfell, the Post Office scandal and many, many other campaign groups and many, many other individual cases that fall outside of those campaigns."
During the debate, West Derby MP and Hillsborough survivor Ian Byrne held back his tears as he said: "To the families of the 97, those who are still with us and those we have lost along the way, you will never be forgotten. You carried the burden that should never have been yours, you fought with dignity when others did not.
"You taught this country you can overcome the most extraordinary abuse of power. To every survivor, I hope this day brings some measure of peace, not because it can erase the past, nothing ever will, but because your suffering has brought about lasting change for generations to come."
Concluding the debate, Ms Atkinson said: "Nothing can bring back those who we have lost and we can never undo the suffering that so many families have endured but what we can do and must do is ensure that the truth is not buried by institutions whose first instinct is protecting themselves.
"That is what this Bill is designed to combat and I am incredibly grateful to all involved we have been able to bring this Bill back before those and as Victims Minister I am determined to see it deliver the lasting cultural change families have fought over for so many years.
"I hope that in years to come it will not only be remembered for the duties and offences it creates but because it helped change the relationship between the state and those it exists to serve."
Those family-members at the forefront of the campaign, Charlotte Hennessy, Sue Roberts, Steve Kelly and Margaret Aspinall said: "Following the conclusions of the fresh Hillsborough Inquests in 2016, we knew that we could not stand by and let professionals and organisations continue to abuse their positions of power.
“For 10 years we have campaigned for a change in the law to stop cover ups, and enable bereaved families access to legal aid at a time when they need it the most.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to fight for this monumental change of law alongside so many other strong, dedicated campaigners. 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.
“This is not just about legislation, but about changing the way the bereaved and survivors are treated and a change in culture and it is deeply empowering knowing that this protect others, forever."
Sir Keir Starmer had pledged to bring in a new Hillsborough Law when he was leader of the opposition - he repeated this pledge as Prime Minister after the legislation was included in Labour’s election-winning manifesto in 2024.
But earlier this year, the Bill became bogged down and heavily delayed after a huge row over how the Duty of Candour would affect the nation’s security and intelligence services. At one stage the government was accused of trying to instigate a "carve-out" for spies.
But this weekend it was revealed that the impasse had finally been broken and that all sides had agreed to the form with which the legislation would take.
A day full of significant moments saw an outgoing Prime Minister in Keir Starmer, whose legacy will now include this vital legislation, meeting with the families in Downing Street before leading the final stage of the Bill’s route through the Commons.
An incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a crucial figure in the long fight for Hillsborough truth and justice - who first introduced this Bill the last time he was an MP - used his first speech since returning to the Commons to set out why this is all so important.
The Bill will now move on to the House of Lords in the autumn before finally becoming a new law for the country.