A new Hillsborough Law aimed at holding public authorities accountable following tragedies will be introduced under Labour, Keir Starmer has announced.
The party leader has given his backing to new legislation - also known as the Public Authorities (Accountability) Bill - ahead of Labour's conference in Liverpool from Sunday.
Campaigners, including families of the 97 who died as a result of the 1989 disaster, have been long calling for new laws and regulations to prevent future injustices where there is state involvement.
Supporters say the laws will compel authorities, such as police forces, to cooperate with official investigations and entitle victims and their families to legal aid.
Mr Starmer, former Director of Public Prosecutions, told the Liverpool Echo it would be a "priority" if Labour is elected.
As part of the legislation, Labour will introduce:
- A duty of candour: to ensure that public authorities and officials proactively cooperate with official investigations – to offer the transparency and accountability they need to succeed
- Legal aid: to entitle victims of disasters or state-related deaths to parity of legal representation during inquests and inquiries, meaning they are funded for lawyers, putting them on a level playing field with public bodies which are represented
- An independent public advocate: to act as a representative for bereaved families that have lost ones in a disaster. They would advocate for their best interests, and establish a panel to review all the evidence, documentation, and data relating to the tragedy - to advise on the course of action most likely to get justice
- A code of ethics: which would require all public authorities to publish a ‘Code of Ethics’ that promotes ethical behaviour, transparency, and candour. This should take account of the Seven Principles of Public Life, provides reasonable protection for whistle-blowers, and offer a complaints system that is accessible to the public.
Ahead of the party conference, Mr Starmer said: "Labour stands unequivocally with the Hillsborough families. We've repeatedly called for the Hillsborough Law and making it reality would be a priority of my Labour government.
“As Director of Public Prosecutions, I spoke with the Hillsborough families, before the Independent panel would decide whether criminal trials or an inquest should come first.
"Their raw pain was matched by their inspirational courage. Nobody should ever have to endure what they've been through.
“In July this year I visited the Hillsborough memorial and met with campaigner Margaret Aspinall, whose son James was amongst the victims of the tragedy.
"For Margaret, for James, and the 96 other lives tragically lost, we will change the law to stop this happening again."
Speaking previously to The Mirror, Ms Aspinall, whose son James died from injuries sustained at the 1989 FA Cup semi final in Sheffield, said: “I could give 1,000 reasons why we should all support the Hillsborough Law."
She focused on one reason – ‘duty of candour’ – a duty to tell the truth that campaigners want to see enshrined in law.
“It’s a disgrace that we even have to say this,” she said.
Margaret said she frequently wondered how history could have been different had police officers been compelled to tell the truth at the Taylor inquiry into Hillsborough, way back in 1989-1990.
“They weren’t under oath,” she says. “Is that why we got the wrong verdict all those years ago?”
Liverpool fans had gathered at Hillsborough Stadium to watch the game, but as crowds built up a huge crush led to hundreds being injured and 97 fans losing their lives.
Match commander Ch Supt David Duckenfield had ordered for an exit gate at the stadium to be opened, by the Leppings Lane turnstiles.
This was to be a fatal decision as thousands of Liverpool fans made their way through to the terraces that were struggling for capacity.
The arrival of so many new bodies in the stand's central pen caused the massive crush, claiming the lives of the 97, whose ages spanned from 10 to 67.
Duckenfield claimed that the gate had been forced by the fans, a claim that was later reiterated during media briefings - the lie caught on and the blame shifted to "drunk and ticketless" fans.
An enquiry in January 1990 concluded that the failure to close off the tunnel was "a blunder of the first magnitude" and that the match commander "failed to take effective control", according to Lord Justice Taylor.
In September, 2012, the Hillsborough Independent Panel (HIP) released a report into the tragedy, criticising the emergency responses. Later that year, a new inquest was ordered to look into the tragic event, while Theresa May announced a new police inquiry for it.
It wasn't until March 2015, almost 26 years on from the Hillsborough Disaster, that David Duckenfield admitted his failure to close a tunnel "was the direct cause of the deaths of 96 people".
The most recent victim died in 2021, taking the total number of deaths to 97.
In April 2016, inquests and trials led to the court ruling that the victims were unlawfully killed and that fans played no part in the deaths.
