Hillsborough Law will include duty of candour
Hillsborough Law: Public Officials to Face Legal Duty of Truth Under Landmark Bill
Public officials will be legally required to tell the truth during inquiries into major disasters under a long-awaited Hillsborough Law bill, announced by the government today.
The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, due to be introduced in Parliament on Tuesday, will compel public agencies to cooperate fully with investigations into disasters and state failings. It will also guarantee legal assistance for families and survivors, with criminal sanctions for officials who breach a new duty of candour.
The move fulfils a promise by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who pledged to bring forward the legislation by the 36th anniversary of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives.
Speaking alongside bereaved families, Sir Keir said:
“Thank you to the families and campaigners who have been fighting for justice and truth for years and years. Their determination to provide a Hillsborough Law is the reason we are here today.
This law will benefit thousands of people they will never meet. It will make sure no one else has to go through what they endured.”
He added that while he wished the bill had been introduced earlier, extra work had been necessary to ensure it was “right and could not be watered down.”
“No family should suffer like we did”
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James was among those killed at Hillsborough, said she hoped the new law would stop other families suffering as hers had:
“It’s been a long road to get here. I am so grateful to the prime minister for keeping his promise. No one should have to suffer like we did.”
The government said the legislation was designed to “end the culture of cover-ups”, citing scandals including Grenfell Tower, the Post Office Horizon system, and infected blood as examples of systemic failings where transparency was lacking.
Sir Keir praised the “tenacity” of the Hillsborough families, saying the bill would ensure the state could “never again hide from the people it is supposed to represent.”
Years of struggle
Charlotte Hennessy, whose father Jimmy died in the disaster, described the campaign as gruelling:
“It has taken blood, sweat and tears, late nights, meetings after meetings. The duty of candour was the biggest barrier, but it had to be included. We’ve fought too long for this.”
She recalled how her family only learned the truth about her father’s death 25 years after the tragedy, following the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report:
“I’ve only known the truth for 13 of the last 36 years. That is unacceptable.”
Next steps
Elkan Abrahamson, a lawyer involved in drafting the legislation, called the bill a “monumental step” but warned campaigners would continue to monitor its passage through Parliament:
“We will now scrutinise the bill as it passes through. We are far from there yet — but today marks an historic moment. The Hillsborough Act will change the face of British justice.”
