'Hillsborough Law' to be finally introduced in Parliament with tough new prison sentences proposed

The long-awaited bill will be introduced to the Commons today after much wrangling between campaigners and Downing Street.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously pledged to bring in the law by the 36th anniversary of the tragedy, which was on April 15, but Downing Street then said more time was needed to redraft it.

It took almost three decades for the British Government to determine those who died at Hillsborough on April 15, 1989 at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest were unlawfully killed.

Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died at Hillsborough said she is hopeful the new law "will mean no one will ever have to suffer like we did."

Speaking alongside the Prime Minister Downing Street, she said: "I thought this is a day that was not going to happen...This is not just about a legacy for the 97. This is a legacy for the people of this country and I think that is the most important thing."

The Prime Minister said the courage shown by the Hillsborough campaigners had been "humbling."

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There had been concern among campaigners that the Bill’s contents had been diluted and would not include a legal duty of candour.

But the Government has confirmed a new professional and legal duty of candour will be part of the Bill.

This means public officials must act with honesty and integrity at all times and could face criminal sanctions if they breach it.

The Government said the new legislation will "end the culture of cover-ups" and learn lessons from wider disasters including the Grenfell Tower fire and the Post Office Horizon and infected blood scandals.

Speaking on GB News this morning, Alex Davies-Jones MP, Minister for Victims called today a "watershed moment for the campaigners, the families and the bereaved and all those people who lost someone at the Hillsborough Disaster."

The Pontypridd MP added: "Although this bill bears the name the Hillsborough Law, it also stands for anyone who has been failed by the state.

"I'm thinking of all those families from the Grenfell Tragedy, from the Infected Blood scandal, the Post Office scandal and sadly, far too many others.

"Every public servant will be bound to tell the truth. They will be bound by honesty, openness and accountability."

Sue Roberts, whose brother Graham died at Hillsborough, said the Bill’s introduction was "a huge step in the right direction".

She said the families will be "watching closely to ensure this Bill is passed in its entirety and enacted in full... The Government must resist any pressure from those who don’t believe the public deserves to know the truth about when the state fails."

Among what the Government has described as the "seismic changes" as part of the Bill are the biggest expansion of legal aid in a decade for bereaved families, with non-means tested help and support for inquests.

This was welcomed by Julia Waters, sister of headteacher Ruth Perry who took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her school.

There will also be a new offence for misleading the public, which the Government said will mean criminal sanctions for the most serious breaches.

Natasha Elcock, from Grenfell United, said: "It has been so easy for public and private agencies to escape accountability and scrutiny.

"By establishing a duty of candour, Hillsborough Law will prevent this, help us learn from failures and ensure bereaved and survivors are properly supported."

Lobby Akinnola, who lost his father, Femi, early on in the Covid pandemic, said he and others had seen "first-hand how easily the truth is delayed, diluted or denied" adding that this new Bill is "a huge step towards" justice.