The Health Secretary spoke to the ECHO as he visited the region to campaign for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting speaks in Frodsham
Health Secretary Wes Streeting speaks in Frodsham(Image: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the Labour government is committed to delivering the Hillsborough Law in full despite a cancelled meeting between the Prime Minister and the families of those unlawfully killed in the 1989 disaster. Yesterday, the ECHO reported that the Hillsborough Law appeared to be in chaos after the cancelled meeting and concerns about the bill the government has pledged to bring in.
Families and campaigners were said to be deeply unhappy after a summit with the Prime Minister, scheduled for Thursday, 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.
The Hillsborough memorial at Anfield
The Hillsborough memorial at Anfield(Image: Liverpool FC - Handout/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Sir Keir 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 coincide with the 36th anniversary of the disaster. Campaigners said they cannot support the version that was written by government officials as it waters down the key protections required around the duty of candour.
One source told the ECHO that this would involve a "high bar that would never be reached." 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.
Health Secretary Mr Streeting spoke to the ECHO during a visit to Frodsham on Friday (March 28) as part of the Labour Party's campaign for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, expected to take place on May 1. The ECHO asked Mr Streeting if this Labour government is still committed to delivering the Hillsborough Law in full and whether it would be ready for April 15, following the cancelled meeting.
The Health Secretary said: "I can tell you that the Prime Minister is personally committed and invested in the Hillsborough Law and the duty of candour is something that matters to us right across government.
Wes Streeting spoke to the ECHO in Frodsham
Wes Streeting spoke to the ECHO in Frodsham(Image: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)
"I think about some of the worst NHS failings and scandals that we see, so I think the duty of candour would make a massive difference for families who have had to battle far too hard for justice.
"The Hillsborough families have a special place in our heart in the Labour Party and right across the country for what they have been through.
"The Prime Minister is absolutely committed to delivering that law and that duty of candour. We will be working with the families to make sure we get that right so it delivers the real change that everyone has been campaigning for."
A spokesman for Hillsborough Law Now told the ECHO yesterday: “We are still working with the government to make this bill the best that it can be."