With concerns growing that promised law could be watered down, talks progressed relatively well in Liverpool with further meetings taking place soon
Talks are ongoing about a Hillsborough Law (Image: Liverpool Echo)
There is fresh hope that an effective Hillsborough Law will come to fruition after high level talks between government officials and campaigners in Liverpool on Friday. The ECHO understands talks ended positively over the landmark law that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to deliver.
A government delegation, including Attorney General Richard Hermer and other officials, met with key figures behind the Hillsborough Law Now campaign in Liverpool to discuss details of the package of measures that the government intends to bring forward.
The families of the 97 Liverpool fans who died as a result of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989 and many others have long been campaigning for the government to bring in a new Hillsborough Law. They say a new law would ensure others will not suffer in the same way that those families did after being the victims of a state-related disaster and the years-long cover up which followed.
The proposed law seeks to bring in a legal responsibility for public servants to tell the truth – referred to as a duty of candour. It would also ensure legal funding is provided to people affected by state-related disasters, like Hillsborough. The idea of the legislation is to try and avoid cover ups like the many that have been seen across the country – from Hillsborough to the Infected Blood Scandal to The Post Office.
In September 2022, then leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer stood up at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool and pledged that if his party were to get into power, they would make a Hillsborough Law a reality. Sir Keir repeated the same pledge as Prime Minister at the Liverpool conference last year, promising the new law would be in place by the time the 36th anniversary of the disaster came around on April 15 this year.
But that anniversary passed with no bill laid before parliament and with a growing frustration at what campaigners said have been attempts by officials to water down the most important tenets of the proposed legislation.
Attorney General Richard Hermer(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
In March, there was anger as government produced a replacement bill, which they said failed on all key points. They said it contained no legally-bound duty of candour, only an ‘objective’ for one that could not be enforceable. Campaigners said at the time that an aspiration or limited duty “will change nothing.”
There was also no mention of rebalancing the resources for legal funding for representation between state bodies and those bereaved or affected by state wrongdoing or failures at inquests or inquiries – another key element of the bill the families have been campaigning for.
After the government was told in no uncertain terms that their suggested replacement bill would not have any of the support of the families, they paused their plans and cancelled planned ‘roll out meetings’ – including one scheduled between the Prime Minister himself and the families.
Those leading the campaign were told at this point that the government would work with them to look again at delivering a Hillsborough Law – and Sir Keir has repeated on record in the House of Commons that the Hillsborough Law will contain the legally enforceable duty of candour that is seen as so essential to making the new legislation effective.
With these concerns still very much in the air, the high level talks were held in Liverpool on Friday. It was felt from some involved with the campaign that these talks could have been ‘make or break’, but the ECHO understands the talks were relatively positive.
While it is clear there is still work to do to achieve an effective Hillsborough Law, it was felt that some progress was made in the discussions, with further meetings expected to take place next week.