Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed deep admiration for the resilience of the Hillsborough families as a landmark bill aimed at preventing state cover-ups is poised to clear its final Commons hurdle. The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, also known as the Hillsborough Law, is expected to be passed by MPs on Tuesday, paving the way for it to become law in the autumn.
Decades-Long Fight for Justice
The legislation follows a relentless campaign by the families of the 97 Liverpool supporters who died in the 1989 FA Cup semi-final crush at Hillsborough stadium. Police initially blamed fans and concealed evidence of their own failings. Fresh inquests in 2016 ruled that the victims had been unlawfully killed.
In an exclusive piece for the Mirror, Starmer wrote: "That’s the first thing that humbles you when meeting the Hillsborough families – how much they have endured. It’s not just the unimaginable loss of losing their loved ones at a football game - a place of joy and human spirit. It is also the burden of having to grieve whilst the full power of the British state is deployed to cover up the truth."
Key Provisions of the Bill
The Hillsborough Law will impose a legal duty on public officials to tell the truth during inquiries and investigations, with criminal sanctions for breaches. The bill was previously delayed due to a dispute over a potential opt-out for security services. Intelligence chiefs had demanded an exemption for national security reasons, but campaigners rejected this, citing allegations that MI5 misled the inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
A compromise was reached: serving or former intelligence officers can receive "compliance directions" to submit information to the head of their agency. That chief is then responsible for forwarding it to the inquiry or investigation, subject to existing legal safeguards for sensitive material.
Starmer's Personal Commitment
Starmer, who is in his final week as Prime Minister, described meeting the families as humbling. He added: "That is the thing that really floors you about the Hillsborough families. It’s not about them. It’s about millions of working people they will never meet. Making sure that nobody else like them, ever has to suffer as they did."
The bill's passage marks a historic moment for the bereaved families and survivors who have fought for over three decades for accountability and transparency from the state.
