The Hillsborough Law will rewire the state and pass power back to the hands of ordinary people, Andy Burnham declared as MPs backed the legislation in Parliament. In his first Commons intervention since returning to Westminster, the PM-in-waiting praised the families of the Hillsborough victims, describing their efforts to change the law as "special". In one of his final acts as Prime Minister, Keir Starmer personally steered the legislation through its final Commons stages, delivering on his promise to bereaved families.
Legislation Prevents Future Cover-Ups
The law, named after the 1989 disaster at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield where 97 Liverpool fans were killed during an FA Cup semi-final, is designed to prevent future cover-ups by requiring officials to be transparent during investigations and inquiries into state failures. It had been held up by months of negotiations between ministers and families over how it would apply to the security services, including MI5 and MI6. A breakthrough was reached at the weekend, with spies brought within the scope of the duty of candour, but with a "secure process" for disclosing information that could affect national security.
Burnham: Law Puts Decency Back at Heart of British State
Merseyside-born Mr Burnham said the Hillsborough campaigners had delivered a change in the law "for others, not for themselves". He said: "I cannot describe my pride in being in this House tonight to see this Bill plant the values of the city of my birth at the heart of this country. And that is something of huge and profound significance that has been brought about by the Hillsborough families and we recognise the significance of that tonight." He added that the new law will "put decency back at the heart of the British state" and will define Mr Starmer's legacy as PM.
Starmer Pays Tribute to Campaigners
Opening the debate, the Prime Minister paid tribute to Hillsborough campaigners in the Commons. He said: "I come here today not to take credit for this government or this House, but as prime minister, to put on our national record exactly where the credit belongs, because it belongs to the families and to the campaigners. And I pay tribute to every one of them." Labour MP Ian Byrne, who was at Hillsborough when 97 Liverpool football fans were killed, was earlier applauded by MPs for his emotional speech. Holding back tears, the Liverpool West Derby MP said: "To every survivor, I hope today brings some measure of peace. Not because it can erase the past, nothing ever will, but because your suffering has brought us about lasting change for generations to come."
Legislation Heads to Lords
The legislation will now head to the House of Lords for further scrutiny. Attorney General Richard Hermer, key to negotiations with families, said: "Today, we all pay tribute to the courage of the families and campaigners who made the Hillsborough Law possible. This is about them. The Hillsborough Law will radically change the relationship between those who govern and the people they govern, forever." A Downing Street spokesman said the Hillsborough disaster "remains in our national consciousness for its tragedy and disgraceful injustice", adding: "This legislation will right those wrongs, changing the balance of power so that the state must always act for the people it's supposed to serve."
Burnham Urges Listen to Nuclear Test Veterans
The Makerfield MP also urged MPs to listen to nuclear test veterans' call for a special tribunal to look at their experiences. Referring to veterans who witnessed nuclear tests during the 1950s and 1960s, he said: "How often in this House do we praise our veterans? And how, in this case, have we left those veterans without truth and justice in terms of what happened to them all of those years to go? And I think this House needs to hear their call for a special tribunal, entirely consistent with the aims of the Bill we are passing tonight." The Daily Mirror has campaigned for decades demanding justice for British military personnel exposed to radiation during Cold War nuclear testing.
