Hillsborough Law: Long-awaited law to force officials to tell truth unveiled 'for the 97' killed in disaster
The long-awaited ‘Hillsborough Law’ that will force public officials to tell the truth during investigations into disasters has been unveiled.
The landmark Public Office (Accountability) Bill will order public bodies to cooperate with investigations into major disasters under penalty of prosecution.
It will also mean those affected by state-related disasters - such as the Manchester Arena Bombing, Grenfell and the Infected Blood Scandal - must be provided legal aid and funding.
The law - named for the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989 in which 97 people lost their lives - places a ‘legal duty of candour’ on public servants and authorities, and has been welcomed by campaigners who previously feared it would be watered down.
Mayor for South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard responded to the announcment by saying: “Here in South Yorkshire, we carry a particular responsibility to acknowledge the failures of the past, and to ensure those failures are never allowed to happen again.”
It comes after a nearly two-decade-long battle for campaigners, including a delay by Keir Starmer’s Government, who pledged to release it for the 36th anniversary of the disaster on April 15 this year, but later said more time was needed.
After inquests ruled that ‘the 97’ were unlawfully killed and that officials covered up their responsibility by lying, an independent panel in 2017 set out 25 recommendations to prevent future injustices like Hillsborough - including the ‘Hillsborough Law’ requiring public servants to tell the truth.
This is currently only the case at the NHS.
The announcement on Gov.uk posted on September 15 reads: “Learning lessons from devastating disasters and scandals [...] the Hillsborough Law will once and for all end the culture of cover-ups and hiding the truth, ensuring transparency, accountability, and support for bereaved families.”
A statement from PM Keir Starmer reads: “Make no mistake - this a law for the 97, but it is also a law for the sub-postmasters who suffered because of the Horizon scandal, the victims of infected blood, and those who died in the terrible Grenfell Tower fire. This is change only this Government can deliver. “
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “Today marks a historic and long overdue moment. The introduction of the Hillsborough Law is not just a piece of legislation - it’s a promise kept to the 97 who lost their lives at Hillsborough, their families, and the survivors who have fought so hard for decades to secure truth and justice.
“The Hillsborough Law will help ensure that the cover-ups, delays, and denials faced by those families can never be repeated. By placing a clear duty of candour on public officials, providing equal legal representation for bereaved families, and holding those in power accountable when they mislead or conceal the truth, the Hillsborough Law represents a fundamental change in how our country responds when things go wrong. It is crucial that public officials act with honest and integrity - and there are clear consequences when this isn't the case.
“Here in South Yorkshire, we carry a particular responsibility to acknowledge the failures of the past, and to ensure those failures are never allowed to happen again.
“I want to pay tribute to the campaigners who have made today possible. Their fight has always been about more than Hillsborough alone; it has been about fairness for every family touched by tragedy. The Hillsborough Law will now stand as a safeguard for generations to come - to ensure truth is never again concealed by the state.”