The mayors of Liverpool and Manchester have jointly called for the government to withdraw a controversial amendment to the proposed Hillsborough law, warning it risks undermining the legislation's core purpose of preventing future cover-ups.
Amendment Creates 'Too Broad an Opt-Out'
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, and Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, issued a stark warning about a draft amendment to the public office (accountability) bill, often referred to as the Hillsborough law. The bill is scheduled for debate in Parliament on Monday.
The mayors stated the amendment "creates too broad an opt-out" by granting intelligence officials the power to decide what information is released to investigators following a major incident. They argued this could allow officials to conceal serious failures behind vague claims of national security, echoing concerns already raised by Hillsborough campaigners.
In a joint statement posted on social media platform X, Rotheram and Burnham said: "As it stands, we believe the government’s amendment in relation to the security services creates too broad an opt-out and risks undermining the spirit of the legislation."
Calls for a Law Born from Tragedy
The push for a Hillsborough law gained momentum in 2016 after the conclusion of a second inquest into the disaster. The tragedy occurred on 15 April 1989 at the Hillsborough football ground in South Yorkshire during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Ninety-seven Liverpool fans lost their lives due to negligent crowd control by South Yorkshire police, making it Britain's worst sporting disaster. The suffering was compounded for decades as Liverpool supporters were falsely blamed, based on misinformation spread by the police.
The proposed law aims to establish a statutory 'duty of candour' on public officials and authorities, compelling them to proactively disclose all relevant information during inquiries and investigations.
Legal and Political Backlash Grows
Elkan Abrahamson, a lawyer for the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, criticised the amendment for making the heads of security services "unchallengeable" in their decisions on disclosure. He argued that it should be for an inquiry chair to determine the relevance of information, noting existing provisions already allow sensitive evidence to be heard in private.
The political pressure is also mounting. Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, Ian Byrne, who has tabled his own amendments to strengthen the bill, said he "could not back the bill in its current form." He expressed deep disappointment, stating the government's amendments would create unacceptable exemptions and loopholes, breaking a commitment to deliver a robust law.
While acknowledging the government's progress on the legislation, the two metro mayors urged ministers to withdraw the amendment and return to collaboration. "We call on them to withdraw their amendment ahead of Monday’s debate and work with the families and the Hillsborough Law Now campaign to find a solution acceptable to all sides," their statement concluded.
