Starmer Reaffirms Commitment to Hillsborough Law on 37th Anniversary
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has strongly reaffirmed his government's commitment to implementing a comprehensive Hillsborough Law, ensuring a "duty of candour applies to all public servants", during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. This pledge comes on the solemn 37th anniversary of the Hillsborough football disaster that tragically claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool football supporters at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium in 1989.
Legislative Details and Security Service Debate
The proposed legislation, formally titled the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, aims to legally compel public officials and authorities to be completely truthful during official inquiries, investigations, and inquests. However, the bill's parliamentary progress has been stalled since its initial introduction last September, primarily due to intense and ongoing debate about whether intelligence and security agencies should be bound by the same stringent duty of candour requirements as other public bodies.
During the parliamentary session, Sir Keir faced direct and emotional challenges from Labour backbencher Ian Byrne, the MP for Liverpool West Derby who was personally present at Hillsborough during the tragic events. Mr Byrne, who serves as parliamentary lead for the Hillsborough Law campaign, asserted that the 97 victims were "killed at the hands of a corrupt state" and pressed the Prime Minister to rule out any potential "carve out" exemptions for security services.
Emotional Parliamentary Exchange
Addressing the Prime Minister directly, Mr Byrne stated with evident emotion: "As parliamentary lead to the Hillsborough Law, I stand here with a huge sense of obligation to the 97, all the families, including my constituent, Debbie Matthews, every survivor and every victim of a state cover-up who were all part of this collective campaign."
He continued: "There are signs of progress after last night's Government concessions, but we've heard this before. Prime Minister, this is your responsibility; it is within your power to take control of this process and make good on your promise to deliver this legislation. So will you commit today to ruling out any carve out for security services and finally delivering a full Hillsborough law worthy of the name, or will they be failed by the state once again?"
Starmer's Response and Legislative History
Sir Keir responded by reiterating his personal dedication to the cause, stating: "I am personally committed to working with the families to get this Bill right. It is integral that their views are heard. We're discussing this precise issue with the families. I reaffirm my commitment to delivering the legislation to ensuring the duty of candour applies to all public servants."
The Prime Minister added that the proposed law would "end the injustice that they have suffered and ensure the state will always act for the people that it serves." The legislation previously faced a significant setback when a controversial amendment was withdrawn at the eleventh hour last year. This amendment would have brought intelligence officers within the law's scope only with approval from their service heads, sparking concerns among campaigners that it could create loopholes to evade the duty of candour.
Current Status and Government Position
It is now anticipated that security chiefs will be required to seek formal court applications for any disclosures to be exempted from the duty of candour requirements. Despite Labour having pledged the Hillsborough Law in its 2024 election manifesto, Downing Street has indicated the legislation will return to Parliament "soon" but has not committed to bringing it back before the King's Speech scheduled for May.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister stated: "Significant progress has been made over recent weeks, working both with the families and the intelligence agencies and we expect to bring the Bill back to Parliament soon." The anniversary was marked with floral tributes left at the Hillsborough Memorial at Anfield, Liverpool, remembering the 97 football fans who lost their lives in Britain's worst sporting disaster.
