Families and campaigners are deeply unhappy after a summit was scrapped with the Prime Minister
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Updated 11:40, 27 Mar 2025
The families of the 97 Liverpool fans killed at Hillsborough have campaigned for a new law for many years
The families of the 97 Liverpool fans killed at Hillsborough have campaigned for a new law for many years
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The promised new Hillsborough Law appears to be in chaos after a meeting between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the families of those unlawfully killed in the 1989 disaster was cancelled amid concerns about bill the government has pledged to bring in.
Families and campaigners are said to be deeply unhappy after a summit with the Prime Minister, scheduled for today, was scrapped. The meeting was due to address worries that the bill has been watered down and will not offer the crucial protections the families of the 97 have campaigned for over many years.
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A Hillsborough Law is a package of new laws that aims to ensure other bereaved families do not go through the same painful experiences as those who lost loved ones at the Hillsborough Stadium disaster in 1989. The bill is intended to include a statutory duty of candour on public servants, backed by criminal sanctions, to force them to tell the truth during all forms of public inquiry and criminal investigation.
The package also includes a provision for a parity of legal funding for ordinary people forced to take on large institutions following tragic events, so that bereaved families have access to public funding.
Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly promised - including twice in speeches at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool - that his government, if elected, would bring in a Hillsborough Law in full. The bill was included in his new government's first King's Speech in July last year. The Prime Minister said the new legislation would be ready by April 15 this year, to time with the 36th anniversary of the disaster.
But weeks away from that date, the bill appears to be in chaos. Campaigners say they cannot support the version that was written by government officials as it waters down the key protections required around the duty of candour, with one source telling the ECHO that this would involve a "high bar that would never be reached."
Keir Starmer has twice pledged to bring in a Hillsborough Law at party conferences in Liverpool
Keir Starmer has twice pledged to bring in a Hillsborough Law at party conferences in Liverpool
There are concerns too around the legal funding aspect of the bill, with legal aid understood to only apply to deaths in police custody, victims of terrorist attacks and local council wrongdoing.
There are fears this could potentially exclude victims of scandals like infected blood and The Post Office, which the law change is intended to protect. "It's not even close to a Hillsborough Law", said one source.
Senior campaign members told the government they could not support the bill in its current form, with a meeting then scheduled to take place between the Prime Minister and the families today (Thursday). But that meeting has now been cancelled, the ECHO understands.
One campaigner who attended a meeting with the families last night said: "We just don't know where things stand now, we have been told there is a pause but we are waiting for information."
Despite the anger and frustration surrounding recent events, there is still hope among those campaigning for this crucial law change that issues can be worked out in time for the anniversary next month.
The Mirror reports ministers have now told families they have “heard their concerns” and are keen to reset relations. It is hoped there will be a new push to use the original legislation to prevent meddling, and that it can still be introduced to Parliament before the anniversary.
A spokesman for Hillsborough Law Now said: “We are still working with the government to make this bill the best that it can be.”
The ECHO has attempted to reach Downing Street for a response. The Mirror said Number 10 had declined to comment but confirmed the meeting had been postponed.