Good Morning Britain presenter Ed Balls was left feeling "really upset" during Wednesday's broadcast as the show covered the devastating conclusions of the long-awaited Hillsborough report.
Families' Fight for Justice Ends in Heartbreak
The report, published on Tuesday, December 2, concluded that 12 former police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings under current regulations for their actions surrounding the 1989 disaster, which unlawfully killed 97 Liverpool fans.
However, due to a legal technicality, none will be held accountable. The law was changed in 2017 to allow former officers to face charges, but this change was not applied retrospectively. All 12 officers had retired before the investigations began in 2012.
Bereaved relatives have declared they "will never get justice". Charlotte Hennessy, who lost her father Jimmy, stated: "Nobody's ever going to go to prison for killing them so we'll never get justice and we knew that."
"Fundamental Failures" and a Culture of Blame
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) report identified what it called "fundamental failures" within South Yorkshire Police. It also highlighted "concerted efforts" to shift the blame for the tragedy onto the football supporters themselves.
During a discussion on GMB with panellists Kevin Maguire and Andrew Pierce, Ed Balls voiced his profound frustration with the police complaints system. He questioned why the process had taken 14 years, asking: "What signal does it send... Why couldn't you have investigated this in three months?"
Drawing on his experience as a Member of Parliament, Balls described dealing with the police complaints process as "a nightmare" due to its slow, time-consuming nature. He revealed he had even written to then-Home Secretary Theresa May about a constituent's case, only to be told it was an independent process outside her control.
A System That "Undermines Trust"
Balls argued that such independent processes, when they fail, ultimately betray victims and damage public faith in the police. "They fail the victims, undermine trust and confidence in the police force. They've got to get a grip," he asserted.
Kevin Maguire echoed the sentiment, calling the situation an "absolute scandal" that "puts a stain on the entire system." He emphasised the relentless fight the families had endured, only to be left empty-handed.
Balls concluded that the way policing failures are investigated must be reformed to be faster, more professional, and transparent. "At the moment, I find it really upsetting," he admitted. Andrew Pierce summarised the feeling in the studio with one word: "It's a disgrace."
The emotional segment on Good Morning Britain, which also featured hosts Susanna Reid and newsreaders Charlotte Hawkins and Laura Tobin, highlighted a painful and unresolved chapter in British history, leaving viewers and presenters alike confronting a profound failure of accountability.
