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Lord Blunkett 'deeply' regrets his Hillsborough response

A screen grab of Lord Blunkett speaking in the House of Lords. He is wearing a navy blue suit.Image source, House of Lords

Image caption,

Lord Blunkett said politicians could have acted sooner to support Hillsborough families and campaigners

ByHaider Saleem

Reporting fromNorth West

Published

22 minutes ago

Lord Blunkett has said he "deeply" regrets not doing more for Hillsborough families while he was home secretary.

The Labour peer told the House of Lords that the decades-long wait for the Hillsborough Law could have been "shortened enormously" if politicians had taken more responsibility.

The peer represented Sheffield Brightside, which included Hillsborough Stadium, when the 1989 disaster took place, claiming 97 lives. He was home secretary from 2001 to 2004.

He spoke during a Lords debate on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law, which would require public officials and authorities to tell the truth during investigations and inquiries.

A picture from the day of the Hillsborough disaster of crowds of people standing on the football pitch inside the stadium.Image source, HILLSBOROUGH INQUESTS

Image caption,

Hillsborough families campaigned for decades to establish the truth about the disaster.

Lord Blunkett said he had been reflecting over the past "year or two" on whether he could have done "a great deal more" following the disaster.

"I've reflected on how little I did as home secretary, and I regret that deeply," he said.

"The time that it's taken to bring about this bill, and the recognition that goes with it, could have been shortened enormously if some of us had taken more responsibility at that time."

He praised the "incredible tenacity and commitment" of the bereaved families and campaigners who fought for decades to establish the truth about the disaster.

'Briefed entirely wrongly'

David Blunkett (R) with his guide dog Lucy patrols the beat in Bedale market, North Yorkshire with local police constable Malcolm Young (R) November 1, 2001Image source, REUTERS/Ian Hodgson IH/PS

Image caption,

Lord Blunkett became home secretary in June 2001, just over 12 years after the April 1989 disaster

Lord Blunkett, who was leader of Sheffield City Council before becoming an MP, said his father-in-law had attended the match, and remembered it "as though it was yesterday" until his death.

"We were briefed by the police entirely wrongly," he told peers.

He added that "to this day, I'm grateful that, for once, I didn't believe the police" where "other members of Parliament did".

"The lies that were told on that day are a stain on the South Yorkshire Police and the force in general, but they do not need to be a stain on the community I was proud to represent."

Fresh inquests concluded in 2016 that those who died had been unlawfully killed and that police caused or contributed to their deaths.

Duty of candour

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill completed its Commons stages in July and received its second reading in the Lords on Tuesday.

It will now undergo detailed scrutiny at committee stage.

The bill would create a legally enforceable duty requiring public authorities and officials to act with candour, transparency and frankness during inquiries and investigations.

It would also expand access to non-means-tested legal aid for bereaved families at inquests involving public authorities.

Its progress was previously delayed by disagreements over whether intelligence agencies should be covered by the duty.

The bill was amended in July to include the agencies while creating a secure process for disclosing information that could affect national security.

Lord Blunkett paid tribute to former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and current Prime Minister Andy Burnham for their roles in bringing the legislation forward.

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