Hillsborough Law Delay Sparks Outrage Among Bereaved Families
Families who have lost relatives in major disasters and suffered state injustices have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, expressing deep disappointment over the government's failure to introduce the long-promised Hillsborough law in the current parliamentary session. In a strongly worded letter, they describe the delay as an "insult" to their years of campaigning for transparency and accountability.
Decade-Long Promise and Security Service Impasse
Labour has pledged for nearly ten years to enact this legislation, which would impose a legal "duty of candour" on police and public authorities, requiring them to act openly and honestly in investigations. However, the bill was withdrawn in January amid ongoing debates, primarily over its application to security services like MI5 and MI6. The government has resisted full inclusion, citing national security concerns, while families argue that judges or inquiry chairs should have access to all relevant information to determine what can be safely disclosed.
This impasse has persisted despite a series of meetings between Starmer, other ministers, and the affected families earlier this year. The coalition behind the letter includes not only those bereaved by the 1989 Hillsborough disaster and the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing but also victims of the Covid pandemic, the Post Office scandal, and the Windrush injustice. They emphasize that the law is crucial to prevent future cover-ups and cultures of denial.
Families' Plea and Government Response
In their correspondence, the families stated: "Above all, we hope to ensure that families in the future do not experience the cultures of denial and defensiveness and cover-ups which we all have. The fact that Hillsborough law has still not been reintroduced to parliament is an insult to all of us who have been working so hard to get to this point." They called on Starmer to urge the Home Office to abandon its opposition and meet with them urgently to resolve the issue.
Government sources indicate that concerns about the bill remain widespread across several departments, including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Ministry of Defence, and the Home Office. However, officials are reportedly working on a new amendment to ensure the duty of candour applies to individuals within the security services, claiming it would go further than previous proposals. They are currently "stress testing" different scenarios and consulting internally, with hopes of reaching an agreement during the next parliamentary session.
Margaret Aspinall, whose son James was among the 97 killed at Hillsborough and who introduced Starmer at the Labour conference, has signed the letter, highlighting her "very disappointed" stance with the government's progress. A No 10 spokesperson reiterated the prime minister's commitment to national security, stating: "We're committed to getting this bill through parliament, we know that families have waited too long, but we have said repeatedly that we must take the time to get it right." They emphasized that strengthening the bill without compromising security is a tribute to the families' decades of campaigning.
