Prime Minister Keir Starmer is confronting the prospect of a significant backbench rebellion over his flagship Hillsborough law, after crucial negotiations with bereaved families dramatically broke down.
Families' Fury Over Intelligence Service Veto
The dispute centres on a key clause in the proposed legislation, which would enforce a duty of candour on public officials to tell the truth and assist inquiries following major disasters. Families of victims from the Hillsborough disaster and the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing emerged from a meeting with Starmer on Wednesday expressing deep disappointment.
Their primary concern is that the bill, as currently drafted, allows directors of intelligence services like MI5 to veto individual officers from giving evidence to future inquiries. This follows the experience of the Manchester Arena inquiry, where it was revealed that MI5 had not been truthful about intelligence that could have prevented the attack, which killed 22 people.
Caroline Curry, who lost her 19-year-old son Liam in the bombing, stated: "As it's proposed at the moment, the government's bill is still giving carte blanche to the security services, MI5, and we just can't back it with that." She described the "false narrative" initially presented as "torture".
Starmer's Personal Pledge Under Pressure
The standoff presents a major political and personal challenge for Starmer. He was personally introduced at last year's Labour conference by Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James was among the 97 unlawfully killed at Hillsborough in 1989. She had previously praised him for championing the law.
However, the current impasse has prompted Labour MP Ian Byrne, who has tabled an amendment to apply the duty to individual intelligence officers, to declare he cannot support the bill in its present form. He told the Guardian it would be the "saddest moment of my political life" if he was forced to vote against it. More than 20 Labour MPs are backing amendments to strengthen the bill.
A Clash Between Truth and National Security
The government argues it has gone as far as possible without compromising national security. A Cabinet Office source claimed the situation from the Manchester Arena inquiry "could not happen" under their proposals, as services would have a duty not to mislead. However, they admitted intelligence chiefs would retain discretion over whether individual officers testify.
Pete Weatherby KC, a director of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, said the families' proposals already acknowledge legitimate national security grounds for excluding evidence. "The government is in danger of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory on a landmark piece of legislation," he warned, "because they are putting protecting the security services ahead of truth and justice."
The bill's return to the Commons, scheduled for Wednesday, has now been delayed until next week to allow for further, though seemingly strained, dialogue. A government spokesperson reiterated Starmer's commitment to "make the Hillsborough law strong" while vowing to "never compromise on national security."
