Nottingham Labour MP Nadia Whittome talks about the new Hillsborough Law.
For many in Nottingham, the Hillsborough Disaster is something they will remember directly, as Forest fans were in the stands that day. On 15 April 1989, a deadly crush occurred at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, when Liverpool FC was playing against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final. 97 Liverpool supporters, the youngest just a ten-year-old boy, lost their lives as a result, and hundreds more were injured. However, the tragedy didn’t end there. In the aftermath, victims’ families were forced to endure a campaign of blame and misinformation by the media.
Notoriously, The Sun falsely accused Liverpool supporters of causing the disaster and made other shocking claims that were later proved to be untrue. At the same time, the police deflected responsibility by presenting a distorted version of events and tampered with evidence to obscure the force’s serious failings. It took 27 years for a court to finally rule that those who died were unlawfully killed, and that the football fans caught up in the chaos were not at all responsible for their deaths, but it should never have taken that long to get the truth, especially as many of the campaigners died before seeing justice.
What should have been a moment to learn from the shocking failings in crowd safety and policing at football matches instead ended with authorities prioritising their own protection, ultimately harming innocent lives during the process. Ultimately, families are yet to see anyone held truly accountable.
From Grenfell to the infected blood scandals, ordinary people have been pitted against powerful institutions determined to escape justice. This legislation aims to create a fairer system where truth and accountability take precedence
However, as a result of relentless campaigning by family members and survivors to change a system that too often protected institutions over the public, a cause to which many of whom devoted their entire lives, last month the government introduced the long-awaited Public Office (Accountability) Bill, also known as the Hillsborough Law. This is a landmark piece of legislation that seeks to prevent state cover-ups by requiring public officials to disclose the truth during investigations into major disasters.
A new professional and legal Duty of Candour will be introduced, meaning public officials must act with honesty and integrity at all times, with criminal sanctions for egregious breaches. This should mean that victims or their families are never again left to fight against influential bodies intent on protecting their own reputations. The principles behind the Hillsborough Law extend far beyond football. From Grenfell to the infected blood scandals, ordinary people have been pitted against powerful institutions determined to escape justice. This legislation aims to create a fairer system where truth and accountability take precedence.
Crucially, the Bill will also provide non-means-tested access to legal representation, so that no family is left to crowdfund for justice while facing unimaginable grief. Under this law, legal aid will automatically be available to bereaved families at inquests - whenever the state is represented. This change is intended to redress the power balance between ordinary people and public authorities.
There will also be a new duty on public authorities to ensure any spending on legal advice and representation at inquests is necessary and proportionate. The duty will also guide the conduct of lawyers at the Coroner's court, ensuring families are always treated with sensitivity and respect. Given that inquests often involve bereaved families and loved ones dealing with traumatic experiences, this duty will ensure that they are less likely to face a hostile process.
The Hillsborough Law has long been in the making, first presented to Parliament in 2017 by Andy Burnham and repeatedly blocked by consecutive governments. Yet thanks to campaigners, who worked tirelessly over three decades to end state cover-ups and didn’t accept half measures, it has finally been introduced in Parliament.
An honourable mention must also go to Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool, West Derby, for whom Hillsborough is deeply personal as an attendee on the day of the disaster, and who has been persistently pressing the government to introduce the Bill in full, without watering it down. I hope that for families and survivors of Hillsborough, it brings some justice and a real recognition of what they went through, ensuring that no other community has to endure a decades-long quest for truth.
The Bill will still need to be scrutinised and voted on, but after so many years of setbacks and delays, there is real hope that this time the law will at last be passed and will enact lasting change, honouring those who lost their lives at Hillsborough by preventing similar injustices from ever occurring again. As an MP, I promise to work with colleagues across Parliament to ensure the Bill is passed in full, so that we do right by the campaigners.
Trust in our institutions matters. When the public cannot be confident that authorities will tell the truth, or when families are forced to fight the state for decades to uncover it, it undermines our democracy. Passing the Hillsborough Law in full is about rebuilding that trust and ensuring that never again will ordinary people be left powerless in the face of a major disaster.
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