The bill for the Hillsborough Law is set to be approved by MPs in the Commons today more than three decades after the disaster.
The long-awaited legislation is expected to become law by the autumn, marking a major victory for campaigners including incoming prime minister Andy Burnham.
Here’s what you need to know about the law and why it’s so significant.
What Happened At Hillsborough?
Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died as a result of the tragedy at Hillsborough stadium on April 15, 1989, during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Hundreds more were injured as overcrowding caused a deadly crush in the Leppings Lane end of the ground.
It remains the UK’s worst sporting disaster in history.
Victims’ families fought for decades to uncover the truth about what caused the tragedy, after Liverpool fans were wrongly blamed for what happened.
However, their efforts were hampered by the police, who blamed the fans and held back evidence of their own failings.
What Is The Hillsborough Law?
Officially known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, the Hillsborough Law will make it a legal duty for public officials to tell the truth to inquiries and investigations.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has welcomed the “landmark law” as a tribute to campaigners who spent decades “fighting to get justice for their loved ones”.
“This will make sure nobody else has to suffer like they did. I am proud to bring back this Bill, delivering a law not just for the 97, but a law for everyone,” he said.
Why Has It Taken So Long?
The authorities spent decades unfairly blaming the fans for the incident.
It was 27 years before a court finally ruled in 2016 that those who died were unlawfully killed and that the fans caught in the crush were not responsible.
But campaigners wanted accountability, too.
So far, only one senior police officer in charge at Hillsborough, David Duckenfield, has been fined £6,500 for a health and safety offence.
Meanwhile, a police misconduct investigation run by the Independent Office for Police Conduct and operating since 2012 concluded last December – but ruled no one would be held accountable.
Some of the most prominent campaigners and officers involved have passed away in the 36 years since the disaster without ever seeing justice.
The Major Sticking Point
The original proposals in the Hillsborough Law gave intelligence agencies the right to decide whether to co-operate with public inquiries.
They could opt out of giving evidence if they thought it would pose a major national security risk, a caveat which infuriated campaigners.
Families bereaved by the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing wrote to Starmer in January saying MI5 should not be exempt.
A public inquiry found the intelligence agency had not offered an “accurate picture” about the information it held on the suicide bomber.
It’s thought ministers have now agreed not grant the intelligence services any exemptions in order to get the legislation through.
Why Is It Coming In Now?
Starmer originally promised to introduce the law by the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in April 2025.
But further disagreements over how far it would require intelligence services to comply with a proposed legal “duty of candour” on public bodies meant it was withdrawn.
To push it through in the last week of his premiership, Starmer helped to weaken the opt-outs for authorities.
Downing Street’s push to get the legislation over the line at the last minute of Starmer’s time in office will be seen as an effort to shore up his own legacy.
What Does Andy Burnham Think of The Law?
Burnham – who will become prime minister next Monday – will also make his first statement in the Commons since returning to parliament as the Makerfield MP on the legislation.
The incoming prime minister introduced a Hillsborough law in 2017, but it was not picked up by the then-Tory government.
The former Greater Manchester mayor has been an avid supporter of the victims, and joined them in criticising Starmer’s bill for not going far enough.
Burnham welcomed the incoming bill on Monday, writing in the Liverpool Echo: “If an entire city could be ignored for two decades while telling the truth about the deaths of its own people, what other communities have gone unheard? Which voices have been overlooked simply because they lacked power?
“For me, this has always been about changing that. It is why I believe we must continue to redistribute power, strengthen our towns and cities, and build a Britain where every community is treated with equal respect and where, in the face of injustice, nobody walks alone.”
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
