MPs approve Hillsborough law imposing duty of candour on public officials
MPs have approved the Hillsborough law, which imposes a legal duty of candour on public officials and authorities, making it an offence to block or mislead inquiries. The law applies to all public bodies with no carve-out for intelligence services.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
MPs approve Hillsborough law imposing duty of candour on public officials
MPs have approved the long-awaited Hillsborough law, which imposes a legal duty of candour on public officials and authorities. The bill, officially the Public Office Accountability Bill, makes it an offence for officials to block or mislead inquiries. It applies to all public bodies, including the intelligence services, after the government agreed there would be no carve-out for MI5 and MI6.
The legislation is named after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 Liverpool fans died in a crowd crush at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium. Police subsequently spread false narratives blaming fans and withheld evidence, delaying justice for decades. Campaigners, including families of the victims, have fought for years for a law to prevent such cover-ups.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who made a personal promise to deliver the law, led the debate in the Commons. He described Hillsborough as "a stain on our history" and said there was a class element to how victims were ignored. Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who has long supported the campaign, also spoke, praising Starmer's commitment. Burnham said the law would "rebalance the scales of justice" and end the "cover-up culture".
The bill had been delayed over concerns about how it would apply to the security services. Intelligence agencies argued for special treatment on national security grounds, but campaigners insisted on full inclusion, citing cases such as the Manchester Arena bombing where MI5 gave misleading evidence. The government eventually agreed that the duty of candour would apply to individuals working for the intelligence agencies, with safeguards for national security.
The law now goes to the House of Lords, where it is expected to pass. Campaigners hope it will ensure that no other families have to endure the same struggle for truth. Margaret Aspinall, whose son James died at Hillsborough, said: "Persistence does pay off." Charlotte Hennessey, who lost her father, said it was a "monumental moment".
The law also draws on lessons from other scandals, including the Grenfell Tower fire, the infected blood scandal, and the Post Office Horizon scandal. It requires public officials to proactively cooperate with investigations and inquiries, with criminal sanctions for those who mislead or obstruct.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MPs approved the Hillsborough Law bill. | |||||||
| Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham were involved in the campaign for the Hillsborough Law. | · | · | |||||
| The law imposes a legal duty of candor on public officials, making it an offence to lie, mislead, or obstruct inquiries. | · | · | |||||
| The bill was delayed due to concerns about its application to security services, but the government says safeguards have been put in place. | · | · | · | · | |||
| The bill was triggered by the cover-up after the Hillsborough disaster. | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the personal stories of campaigners, particularly Charlotte Hennessey, and the role of Andy Burnham. The tone was supportive, highlighting the long campaign and the promise kept by Keir Starmer. It also included Starmer's Mirror quote and the emotional testimony of Hennessey.
- “The law would make it an offence for public officials to block or mislead inquiries.”
- “Andy is the person that brought our campaign group together. You know, Hillsborough Law now was created and launched by him and Steve Rotheram.”
- “Keir Starmer's the only man that pledged this and he's fulfilled his promise.”
BBC ONE West provided comprehensive political coverage, including the delay over security services, the class element highlighted by Starmer, and the transition of power from Starmer to Burnham. It included multiple perspectives, such as Conservative criticism of the speed of the bill, and detailed the government's position on intelligence services.
- “The Prime Minister's delayed his final cabinet meeting to lead a debate on a long delayed bill to create the Hillsborough law”
- “There is a class element to this, time and again the cry for justice was ignored by the British state because of who the victims are”
- “It is happening because of the Prime Minister's commitment to a country based on justice and fairness”
ITV1 focused on a simple explanation of the law as making it illegal to lie, and the emotional reaction of campaigner Margaret Aspinall. It also noted Starmer's personal promise and the resolution of security service concerns, with a straightforward tone.
- “A New law which would criminalize public bodies and officials that lie to the British public”
- “Elated to be truthful with you, you know, it's took all of these years to get where we are today”
- “It's understood that Sir Keir Starmer was keen to get an agreement on this before the end of his Premiership”
5 News emphasised the historical context of the Hillsborough cover-up and explained the duty of candour in simple terms. It highlighted the unusual situation of both outgoing and incoming prime ministers being involved, and mentioned other affected groups like Grenfell and the Post Office scandal.
- “What that means is that public officials must tell the truth if they are answering questions at some sort of investigation”
- “We had a massive cover-up. We couldn't get all the information. We had to go out campaigning.”
- “It is a very unusual situation where you have the Prime Minister on his way out and the Prime Minister on his way in, both of whom have been very involved in this.”
Channel 4 focused on the political drama of the Commons debate, with both Starmer and Burnham speaking, and the irony of a government pushing truth while another department fought disclosure. It included the jeering from Tories and the campaigners' faith in Starmer, with a slightly critical edge.
- “The incoming prime minister and the outgoing one together in the Commons for the first time since Keir Starmer's nemesis won his by-election.”
- “It truly is a rewiring of the state and a passing of power from the authorities to the hands of ordinary people”
- “We always had faith in Keir, didn't we?”
GB News provided brief, straightforward coverage of the law's approval, including a quote from Andy Burnham about rebalancing scales of justice. The coverage was minimal and quickly moved to other stories, with a factual tone.
- “Peter expected to approve the long-delayed Hillsborough law in a bid to prevent cover-ups linked to failures of the state”
- “What this house will do in passing this bill tonight is? Rebalancing the scales of justice so that we have justice for ordinary people going forward”
BBC TWO provided in-depth analysis of Andy Burnham's first speech, with emotional interviews with survivors Ian Byrne and Professor John Ashton. Focused on the 'rewiring of the state' and the personal impact of the law, with a reflective and detailed tone.
- “Andy Burnham's first speech since being re-elected says the Hillsborough law passed by MPs tonight should end a cover-up culture and be a rewiring of the state.”
- “We can never forget that for 20 years an entire English city was crying injustice correctly. And yet, this place ignored them for all of that time.”
- “If in some small way I have honoured the memory of the 97, if I have been worthy of the trust the families of survivors have placed in me”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.