Labour MPs are considering rebelling against the government's proposed Hillsborough law after talks with bereaved families broke down over how the duty of candour would apply to intelligence officers. The families, including Margaret Aspinall, whose son James died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, and Caroline Curry, whose son Liam was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, expressed disappointment after a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday.
The bill would enforce a duty of candour on public officials and contractors to tell the truth and assist inquiries after disasters. However, families are concerned that the current proposals allow directors of intelligence services to veto officers giving evidence, a situation they say could lead to cover-ups similar to those seen in the Manchester Arena inquiry, where MI5 did not present an accurate picture of intelligence before the attack.
Caroline Curry said the government's bill gives "carte blanche to the security services" and that she cannot support it as it stands. Ian Byrne, a Labour MP who has submitted an amendment to ensure the law applies to individual intelligence officers, said he could not back the bill in its current form, calling it the "saddest moment of my political life."
A government source said it was "deeply regrettable" that no agreement was reached but that the government had gone as far as possible without compromising national security. The families argue that intelligence officers should provide evidence to inquiries with a duty of candour, and if national security concerns arise, the inquiry chair should decide on exclusions.
Pete Weatherby KC, representing the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, said the government is "in danger of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" by prioritising protecting the security services over truth and justice. More than 20 Labour MPs have backed amendments to the bill, which was due to return to the Commons on Wednesday but has been delayed until next week.
