The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law, passed the House of Commons on Tuesday evening after decades of campaigning by Hillsborough families. The legislation introduces a legal Duty of Candour and a new criminal offence of Misleading the Public, carrying up to two years in prison for intentionally or recklessly deceiving the public. It applies to the Prime Minister, Cabinet, government ministers, NHS workers, police, civil servants, the military, and security services including MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, which had fought for but failed to secure a carve-out.
Victory for Campaigners
Marcus Ball, a law reform campaigner who prosecuted Boris Johnson in 2019 to establish lying in politics as a criminal offence, praised the achievement. "The Hillsborough campaign proved me wrong. Their achievement belongs alongside the suffragettes', and they too deserve a statue in Parliament Square," Ball wrote. He noted that since June 2016 he had worked to criminalise political deception, but never believed Parliament could deliver it.
Major Exception for Lawmakers
However, the Misleading the Public offence does not apply to MPs, the House of Lords, the Senedd, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, or judges. Ball highlighted the irony: "Parliament has told the country, in statute, that the only powerful officials who may remain legally free to intentionally or recklessly deceive the public are those who make our laws and those who administer them in court." He added, "Literal spies will now face criminal consequences for deceiving the public before their own lawmakers do."
During the debate, MPs including Emma Lewell, Nadia Whittome, and Sarah Russell spoke against carve-outs for the security services, but none addressed their own exemption. Ball noted that amendments to include MPs and Lords, tabled by Luke Myer MP and Jennifer Nadel of Compassion in Politics, were never voted on due to lack of time. Only 322 words—1.2% of the 27,997-word debate—were devoted to these amendments.
Criticism of Process
The bill's rapid progression drew criticism. Conservative Dr. Kieran Mullan called the 24-hour notice "simply unacceptable," while the SNP's Seamus Logan accused the government of "indecent haste... actively working against proper parliamentary scrutiny." Ball suggested the rush served Prime Minister Keir Starmer's legacy, as campaigners had been told the bill would not return until after summer.
Ball concluded by vowing to campaign in the House of Lords to fix the exemption. "The Hillsborough Law must apply to the people making it. I will fight to ensure that it does," he wrote.
