Labour will not bring the Hillsborough law back to the Commons for debate until it can reach agreement with the families, the Guardian understands. Keir Starmer was forced to delay the bill again on Monday after talks broke down last week with those affected by the Hillsborough disaster and the Manchester Arena attack.
Central to the disagreement is how duty of candour in the public authority (accountability) bill would apply to serving intelligence officers. The law – designed to stop official cover-ups – would mean those in public office who lie or evade would face prosecution. The government has agreed the law should cover the security services, but wants to give agency chiefs the final say over when individual officers can give evidence, a power the families say is unacceptable and could lead to future cover-ups.
On Friday, the government laid down its own amendments to the bill, which put further obligations on the security services – but still did not go far enough to gain agreement. A Labour source said there was now no option but to delay the bill until a compromise could be reached that was acceptable to the families and did not affect national security.
Families, along with the barrister Pete Weatherby, the architect of the law, met the ministers Alex Davies-Jones and Nick Thomas-Symonds in the Ministry of Justice on Monday, but left without agreement. Speaking at a press conference earlier on Monday, Starmer said he was determined to find a solution. “I care hugely that we get this right, that we right the wrongs for very many families who have been let down and ensure a better future for families,” he said.
The bill will need to return to the Commons for the report stage and third reading, as well as go through the Lords. A government source said they were “not putting a deadline” on the talks and that agreement would be needed with the families, the intelligence agencies, the Home Office and Foreign Office, and the intelligence and security committee.
