In May, I had the privilege of meeting with four remarkable people who continue to inspire me: Charlotte Hennessy, Margaret Aspinall, Steve Kelly, and Sue Roberts. They have been at the forefront of the campaign for a new Hillsborough Law, pushing for meaningful change in the name of their loved ones and all those who died in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
Delays Despite Promises
I have met with them many times over my career, including last September in Downing Street on the historic day the new law was to be laid before Parliament. Yet, 10 months on, we still do not have a Hillsborough Law on the statute books, despite repeated promises from the Prime Minister and his cabinet, who included its implementation in their election-winning manifesto two summers ago.
Progress has been made in getting the bill through parts of the Parliamentary process, but it has been heavily delayed amid a row over how the proposed duty of candour—requiring public officials to tell the truth or face sanctions—can be applied to the nation's security services.
Families' Frustration
These delays are increasingly frustrating for the families, including the four I met in May, who have repeatedly travelled up and down the country to break the deadlock. On social media this week, Charlotte Hennessy, who was six when her father James was killed at Hillsborough, expressed the anguish: "The PM committed to 'making that change.' WHEN? How much longer is needed? How many more times do victims, like us, have to go round this carousel of cruelty that we never even asked to ride on?"
She added: "How many more delays? Meetings? Endless trails of emails and messages and letters and teams meets are needed? Victims, survivors, the bereaved left behind are on their knees, begging for a change, going in to rooms with strangers and telling of their loss, their trauma, their torment. And then nothing. Just silence."
Andy Burnham's Return
A lot can change quickly in politics. The Prime Minister who made those promises has only a couple more weeks in office before being replaced by Andy Burnham, who needs no reminding of what the loved ones of the 97 have been through. Burnham first introduced the Hillsborough Law bill to Parliament when he was an MP in 2017. After nine years as Manchester's Metro Mayor, he is back as MP for Makerfield and, following Keir Starmer's resignation, is expected to become Prime Minister later this month.
When he arrives at Number 10, his in-tray will be enormous, covering issues from the cost of living to war in the Middle East. But in his first leadership speech in Manchester last week, Burnham insisted his priority would be to 'rewire the country' so it works for ordinary people.
A Test of Priorities
I can think of no greater example of the country not working for ordinary people than the treatment of the Hillsborough families. Instead of justice and support after traumatic loss, they faced decades of smears, lies, and gaslighting as the powers that be closed ranks. This extends to others too—from the Post Office scandal to infected blood and Nuclear Test Veterans. A Hillsborough Law would be a fundamental change.
Things began to turn around after the 20th anniversary of the disaster, when a young government minister was shouted down at a memorial event at Anfield. He raised the matter with the then Prime Minister, kick-starting the Hillsborough Independent Panel and new inquests that confirmed the 97 were killed unlawfully. That minister was Andy Burnham. He played a pivotal role in getting the truth out.
Now he is about to become Prime Minister. Establishing a law to prevent anyone else from suffering the pain of the Hillsborough families must be one of his top priorities. When he met the families in May, he looked them in the eye and said: "We won't rest until that bill becomes an act of Parliament." For the good of the country, he must be true to his word.
