The progress of a landmark Hillsborough Law, designed to criminalise public officials who lie or conceal information, has been postponed after last-minute concerns were raised about its application to Britain's intelligence agencies.
Families Demand Full Accountability
Families of victims from the Manchester Arena bombing and the Hillsborough disaster are due to meet Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday, 14th January 2026. This meeting follows the announcement that the final parliamentary stages of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill have been pushed back to next Monday.
Campaigners have warned the Prime Minister that the legislation must cover all public services without exception, including the security services MI5, MI6, and GCHQ. They stated that a brief delay would be acceptable only if it is used to correct flaws in the current draft.
A Decades-Long Fight for Justice
The proposed law is the result of a battle lasting decades, spearheaded by the relatives of the 97 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in the fatal crush at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield. For years, grieving families fought for justice after police falsely blamed supporters for the tragedy.
The Bill would establish a legal duty of candour for all public officials, such as police officers, with criminal penalties for lying or withholding information. It would also create a new offence for misleading the public, carrying sanctions for the most serious breaches.
'Our Lives Have Been Forever Shattered'
Caroline Curry, whose 19-year-old son Liam was killed alongside his girlfriend Chloe Rutherford, 17, in the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack, gave an emotional statement. She insisted the law must include every service, asking why any other agency would feel compelled to tell the truth if those at the top were exempt.
"We feel our children were just collateral damage," she said. "Our lives have been forever shattered into a million tiny pieces... To know that this could and should have been prevented but for the failures of MI5 is shameful enough." She described hearing that MI5 had not told the truth in open court during the public inquiry as "like a kick in the guts."
A spokesman for the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, which has support from victims of the Grenfell Tower fire and the infected blood scandal, said: "Families have waited long enough for the truth... This latest delay is welcome, but only if it is used to fix what is now wrong."
Government Pledges to 'Get This Right'
Downing Street confirmed the delay, citing concerns that the Bill "did not apply to individual employees of the intelligence agencies." The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the government had tabled amendments on Friday to address this but was determined to get the legislation right.
"The Hillsborough law will change the balance of power in Britain and put a legal duty on officials, including those in the intelligence services, to respond openly and honestly when things go wrong," the spokesman stated, while emphasising that national security would not be compromised.
The remaining stages of the Bill are now scheduled for the following week, as the government seeks to balance the demands for transparency with the operational needs of the security services.
