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ITV News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Campaigners raise concerns over delays to the Hillsborough Law
ITV Granada's political correspondent Lise McNally looks into concerns surrounding the Hillsborough Law. Campaigners fear the proposed Hillsborough Law aimed at combatting establishment cover-ups is in danger of being watered Government promised to pass the law before the latest anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster in April but there is still no sign of it coming before Parliament. Those who support the Bill say it is about much more than the legacy of Hillsborough - they say it's to protect all victims of avoidable harm, like the Infected Blood and Post Office scandals, Grenfell and grooming gangs. Campaigners say to be a true legacy for the '97, the Hillsborough law must contain three basic principles, to protect the public if they're caught up in any disasters where the state could try to cover up its mistakes. Duty of Candour - This would compel public bodies and their employees to tell the truth in any inquiry and actively provide evidence and assistance. Criminal Sanctions - Those found to have lied about wrongdoing must face criminal sanctions. Parity of Funding - Bereaved families should be given parity of funding, so they can afford the same quality of lawyers as the public authorities they need to challenge. It is believed that how these could work in practice have caused disagreements and delays in Whitehall. The MP for Liverpool West Derby Ian Byrne fears the Hillsborough Law will be watered down. The MP for Liverpool West Derby Ian Byrne was at Hillsborough on the day of the disaster. He is very worried that when the law finally does appear - it won't go far enough. "It's going to be a piece of legislation which changes the culture of cover ups and changes the very fabric within this country. "We cannot allow a continuation of the betrayal of the Hillsborough families and survivors in my city, if this isn't delivered." Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall told the Prime Minister to "do the right thing." Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall lost her son James in the disaster, she says any watering down of the law would be a disgrace. "We had to go campaigning to raise funds as well, trying to get over your loss. "You'll never get over that. We can't bring them back. "But to deal with the media, to campaign for funding, to beg for the release of all documentation, and not get it. We had all that to face. "Do I want other people, the ordinary people to face that ever again? No. Things have got to change. "So if we can do anything to change that system, my jobs is done. That is my job completely finished. "I thought it was finished at the second inquest, if we got accountability, never realised, my job is still not done. "And I've told Mr Starmer, it won't be done and I will never rest in peace until we have Hillsborough in all its entirety, for the good of this nation." Today the Deputy Prime Minister claimed the government 'remains fully committed' to introducing a Hillsborough Law with work 'at pace' to get it right. During Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon, Deputy PM Angela Rayner, said legislation would be brought forward 'as soon as we're confident they will deliver the justice victims deserve.' She was questioned on the delay by Anneliese Midgley, Labour MP for Knowsley. She said: ''Last Saturday marked eight years since Grenfell, eight years fighting for justice. The Hillsborough families, including Margaret Aspinall, from Huyton, have campaigned for 36 years for the Hillsborough law, decades. 'Can the Deputy Prime Minister tell me today will this Labour government bring forward the Hillsborough law without delay? Will it honour promises made to victims of state cover-ups and will it finally deliver justice for the 97?' Ms Rayner said: 'I thank my honourable friend for her question and the work with campaigners like Margaret in their fight for justice. We remain fully committed to bringing a Hillsborough Law. 'The state has failed victims and their families too many times in the past and that is precisely why our focus is on getting the legislation right. "I can assure her measures will be brought forward as soon as we're confident they will deliver the justice victims deserve and we want to do this at pace.' Until the legislation is laid down before Parliament, the legacy of the Hillsborough disaster remains up in the air.
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
'Watered down' Hillsborough Law would be no use
A "watered down" version of a Hillsborough Law would be "no use", the mother of one of the 97 victims has said on the 36th anniversary of the disaster. Margaret Aspinall told the BBC that the law, which would force public bodies to cooperate with investigations into major disasters or potentially face criminal sanctions, must be introduced "in all its entirety".Sir Keir Starmer had previously promised to pass a bill by 15 April, but confirmed on Monday "more time" was needed to pass the "best version" of the legislation. Ms Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James at Hillsborough, called on Sir Keir to "not take too long in doing the right thing". She said: "To be truthful with you I'm pleased to hear that he's going to do the best version, but the best version for me is it's got to be all in its entirety."It's no use watering it down in any way, shape, or form otherwise it would never be a Hillsborough Law." Last month rumblings about changes to the proposed bill culminated with the prime minister cancelling a meeting with the Hillsborough families. Campaigners expressed concerns that officials had amended the bill to water down potential sanctions for officials. Ms Aspinall said the law needed to impose a duty of candour on individuals and not simply public bodies, as well as proper legal funding for families of victims of state deaths to achieve "parity of arms". "We had to go out campaigning for funding from the ordinary public, which was an absolute disgrace to help us fight such an injustice that we had," she said. It was not until 2016 that an inquest jury concluded the 97 victims were unlawfully killed in the stadium crush at Sheffield's Hillsborough stadium amid a number of police errors. Ms Aspinall said she had "not had time" to have any feelings about the anniversary because she was still forced, along with many others, to campaign for change. "Each year that passes by there's always something going on about Hillsborough, because lessons have never been learned," she said. Ms Aspinall added: "You only have to look at the Post Office scandal, Grenfell, contaminated blood, I can name so many things that there's been an injustice."She said it was important for the law to represent a "legacy" for the 97, as well as the survivors who were "still suffering" from the trauma of that day. "I have always said we have try to make something good out of something so tragic," she said. The prime minister's spokesman paid tribute to the Hillsborough families, and said: "We are determined to enshrine their profound legacy as we work to introduce a Hillsborough Law that will deliver the justice they deserve."Pressed on a timetable for bringing forward a bill, he said: "Having consulted with groups over recent weeks and months, we believe more time is needed to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law."But we remain fully committed to bringing this legislation at pace, and we'll obviously continue to work with them in the weeks ahead and provide an update when we've got it." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What is the Hillsborough Law? The 'all or nothing' legislation explained
As the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster approaches, campaigners have said a law promised by the government to prevent future cover-ups of such tragedies must not be watered down. The Inquest charity said the legislation must be presented to Parliament "without dilution or caveat", following concerns that changes to the bill could raise the threshold of accountability. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously pledged to introduce the so-called 'Hillsborough Law' before this year's anniversary of the tragedy, which took place on 15 April 1989. It is expected to include a legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively co-operate with official investigations and inquiries – with the potential for criminal sanctions for officials or organisations which mislead or obstruct investigations. However, campaigners are understood to be concerned over whom the duty of candour will apply, and are calling on the government to provide reassurance. Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died in the football stadium crowd-crush, said: 'After hearing the stories of all the other families fighting for justice, I am more determined than ever to demand that the Hillsborough Law presented to Parliament is all or nothing. 'This is the legacy of families and survivors – the bill has got to be right.' Here, Yahoo News looks at the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster and what has been said so far about the law promised by Labour. Survivors and the families of those who died have been involved in a lengthy campaign in pursuit of justice. On its website, the Hillsborough Law Now campaign group sets out two key criteria for the law it wants to see put in place: 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 This will mean that bereaved families can get public funding, just as public money is used to support government and public authority lawyers. In a report bringing together 'powerful voices of bereaved families, victims and survivors of some of the worst failings of public services and the legal system in the UK', Inquest has re-stated the need for a strong and watertight law. Other major campaign groups including Grenfell United and Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice (CBFFJ) have backed Inquest's call. In the report, Inquest director Deborah Coles says the law 'must be 'all or nothing', without dilution or caveat, to ensure the response to contentious deaths, harms and grave injustices dramatically improves'. She says that while a delay in a bill being introduced to Parliament by the anniversary would be "disappointing", it is important that the proposed legislation fully meets campaigners' expectations. Last week, the government confirmed that the Hillsborough Law will not be implemented before the next anniversary of the disaster, as "more time is needed" to draft the legislation, Sky News reported. A source close to the discussions told the outlet that the legislation in its current form was an "absolute mess", with a number of loopholes that would leave the duty of candour "useless and ineffective". Last month, it was reported that a meeting between Sir Keir and campaigners had been cancelled, with claims officials were attempting to have the contents of a bill watered down. In an update last week, Commons leader Lucy Powell said the Government will take 'whatever time is necessary' to develop a law which 'meets the expectations' of the Hillsborough families. She told MPs that the 'most important issue at this time is to ensure that the legislation reflects the full range of concerns and experiences, and meets the expectations of the families'. 'I think the very worst thing we can do at this point in time is to not meet those expectations when all of the trust and issues there are about the state failing to live up to those expectations of the families," she added. 'So we are working on the bill at pace, but we will take whatever time is necessary to work collaboratively with the families and their representatives, because getting that legislation right is actually our overwhelming priority at this time, I'm sure she can understand that.' Last Tuesday building safety minister Alex Norris told a committee of MPs that there will be an update 'coming imminently' and that the calls for improvements on the law "have been understood". Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. More than 50,000 men, women and children travelled to stadium, where just minutes after kick-off, a fatal crush occurred in the Leppings Lane end terraces, where the Liverpool fans were located. Some media reporting focused on unfounded allegations that Liverpool fans' drunken behaviour caused the disaster and hindered the emergency response, but this has been "disproved many times", the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said. In 1991, a jury returned a verdict of accidental death at the end of an inquest, but in December 2012, the High Court quashed the original verdicts and ordered fresh inquests. It followed years of demands from campaigners for new inquests to be held, and the government setting up a Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2009 to review the evidence. The fresh inquests began in March 2014, where jurors heard evidence about the stadium's design, police preparation and the overall emergency response, with at least one medical expert saying some of the victims could have been saved if earlier interventions were made. Two years later, in April 2016, the jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing for the then 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives and concluded that the fans played no role in causing the disaster. Jurors found that 'errors and omissions' by South Yorkshire Police contributed to the deaths, while the response of South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance also contributed to the disaster. In 2021, Andrew Devine, who died aged 55 at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, was confirmed as the 97th victim of the tragedy. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which began investigations into the disaster in 2013, said in March 2025 that although officers tried to 'deflect blame' they do not have a case to answer for misconduct. In a letter to families, the police watchdog said: 'We found no evidence to support claims that the behaviour of supporters was a contributing factor. 'In the majority of cases, we were unable to find that officers had a case to answer for misconduct because the professional standards for policing at the time did not include a specific duty of candour. 'Despite the wider public interest to gain answers about what happened, South Yorkshire Police was entitled, within the law at the time, to present its 'best case' and be selective with the evidence it presented.' Government will miss its own deadline to bring in Hillsborough Law (Sky News) Fury among families after senior Hillsborough officers absolved by police watchdog (The Guardian) 'He gave so much' - the Hillsborough dad who refused to bow to injustice (The Liverpool Echo)
