The government has delayed progress on the Hillsborough law amid concerns from MPs and families over its application to intelligence officers. Ministers are working on a compromise after critics said the bill went too far in shielding individual employees of MI5, MI6, and GCHQ from duties of candour.
The bill, which enforces a duty on public officials to tell the truth after disasters, was due to return to the Commons on Wednesday but will now be delayed until next week. More than 20 Labour MPs, including Merseyside MPs Ian Byrne and Anneliese Midgley, backed amendments to place specific duties on intelligence officers.
Families affected by the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, arguing that Security Service officers should not be exempt. They highlighted that the inquiry found the attack could have been stopped if MI5 had acted on intelligence, and accused MI5 of lying during the inquiry. “Creating a full duty of candour responsibility on MI5, MI6 and GCHQ is the clearest route to creating this change,” they said.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said the government is considering amendments but cannot compromise on national security. “This government will not bring forward legislation that would put the national security of the UK or lives at risk,” he said. He added that the bill will still impose new duties on intelligence services not to mislead or evade, and that further changes may be made to strike the right balance.
