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A new ‘Hillsborough Law’ – which lawfully forces public authorities and officials to tell the truth – has been confirmed as part of the King’s Speech.
The new Labour government are set to stick to their manifesto promise to introduce a Hillsborough Law, after it was included as part of the King’s Speech, which marks the start of a new parliamentary year, on Thursday.
The Hillsborough Law Now campaign aims to introduce a bill that would:
“Create a new legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively cooperate with official investigations and inquiries – bringing to an end the depressingly familiar pattern of cover ups and concealment.
“Ensure victims of disasters or state-related deaths are entitled to parity of legal representation during inquests and inquiries.
“This will mean that bereaved families can get public funding, just as public money is used to support Government and public authority lawyers.”
• Learn more about the Hillsborough Law Now campaign here
The Hillsborough Law Now campaign came about as a result of events, including the Hillsborough disaster, that saw victims and their families struggle to achieve truth and justice in the aftermath.
Debbie Caine, campaign director of Hillsborough Law Now, reacted to Wednesday’s news, saying: “Only those who have endured a long and arduous battle with the state for truth and accountability will realise the significance of this announcement.
“But make no mistake, this announcement has the potential to save and change lives for the many, not the few.”
Deborah Coles, director of the charity, INQUEST, and a director of Hillsborough Law Now, said: “We welcome today’s commitment from the new Government to implement a Hillsborough Law.
“This would not have happened without the longstanding campaigning from bereaved families and survivors.
“INQUEST sees daily the impact on bereaved families as the search for the truth invariably begins to feel like a battle as the shutters come down. Public scrutiny is a vital opportunity to learn from past mistakes and protect lives in the future.
“For too long organisations have been more concerned with reputation management, concealing the truth and defending their policies and practices even where there is clear evidence of systemic and individual failure.
“The new Government must now ensure a statutory duty of candour and parity of funding as a lasting legacy to those who died in the Hillsborough Disaster and to stop future injustice and trauma.”
Hillsborough: The truth
Ninety-seven Liverpool supporters died as a result of a crush in the Leppings Lane end at Hillsborough on April 15, 1989.
It took 27 years for the families of the bereaved to have their truth recognised in court when a jury, in 2016, found 96 victims (now 97) to have been unlawfully killed due to gross negligence by the match commander, Superintendent David Duckenfield.
The jury was also asked if there was any behaviour on the part of football supporters that may have caused or contributed to the dangerous situation at the Leppings Lane turnstile. They replied no.
The only successful prosecution of an individual relating to the disaster or the cover-up came when the stadium’s health and safety officer, Graham Mackrell, was fined £6,500.
The truth has been told but justice has never been delivered.
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