Hillsborough Law 'must be right, not rushed'

A proposed Hillsborough Law should be changed by the government to make sure it is "right" rather than rush to meet a political deadline, campaigners have said.

The legislation, named in honour of the 97 victims of the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989, would force public bodies to co-operate with investigations into major disasters or potentially face criminal sanctions.

Speculation over the government's position increased on Thursday after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reportedly cancelled a meeting with the Hillsborough families.

Jenni Hicks whose daughters Sarah, 19, and Victoria, 15, died in the disaster, said she would rather "wait a little bit longer" for a "duty of candour that's strong enough" than have a "diluted version" which is rushed through.

In September Sir Keir promised to introduce the law before the next anniversary of the tragedy on 15 April.

However campaigners reacted angrily to recent reports suggesting officials were attempting to have the bill "watered down", with criminal sanctions only applying to those giving evidence in inquests or public inquiries.

A spokesperson for Number 10 said the prime minister's office would not comment on private meetings, but reaffirmed the government's commitment to the Hillsborough Law.

Ms Hicks told BBC Radio Merseyside she and the other families had to wait 24 years for evidence to be submitted to the Hillsborough Independent Panel, and a further two years for it to publish its findings.

"Nobody after losing a loved one should have to wait 24 years to hear the truth of how they died," she said.

"Hopefully, the Hillsborough Law will be strong enough to help prevent anyone else having to go through the same procedures and the long wait that the Hillsborough families did.

"So that's what I'd like to stress to the prime minister - You have to get this right."

She added: "I'd rather wait a little bit longer and have a proper and appropriate Hillsborough Law, with a duty of candour that's strong enough, rather than him just tying to keep his promise with a diluted version."

Solicitor Elkan Abrahamson, who has represented some of the families and acts as a director of the Hillsborough Law Now Campaign (HLN), said the bill did not include parity of funding for families of those killed in disasters.

"You get families who are given either low funding or very low funding and who were sort of scrabbling around for people who will help them," he said.

"Then you go into the room and you see groups and groups of KCs and solicitors and junior barristers representing all these public bodies with our money, with public money, and yet no public money is spent on the families."

He said the law must include a duty of candour and a duty for public officials to proactively assist investigations - including in cases where they hold vital information but are not directly asked to give evidence.

Mr Abrahamson said: "We need to focus on getting the law passed properly, and if that means that it can't be done by the next anniversary - So be it.

"It's far more important that the right thing is done than a deadline is adhered to."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We remain fully committed to bringing in a Hillsborough Law which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply."

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