Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a commitment the law will not be watered down as he responded to questions from the ECHO
Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with Margaret Aspinall, during a meeting with family members of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster in Downing Street(Image: PA)
Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave his word to the ECHO that the Hillsborough Law will not be watered down on a momentous day in British history. A Hillsborough Law Bill, that will fundamentally change how the country operates, will be laid in Parliament today after decades of tireless campaigning by the families of the 97 Liverpool fans who died as a result of the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster.
The Government has said the landmark legislation will “end the culture of cover ups” as the significant package of measures will hold public officials and authorities accountable for their actions with a new professional and legal duty of candour. This means they must act with honesty and integrity at all times or face criminal sanctions.
The Prime Minister met with a delegation from the families at Downing Street this morning and re-iterated his vow that the package of measures will not be watered down when it becomes legislation. Speaking to the ECHO after the meeting, he said: “I made it very clear to them we’ve worked hard to get to where we are with this law. Yes, there’s been constant battles. They’ve been having these battles for years.
“But we have pushed through to get this law into a place where the families think it’s the right law and we’re not going to water it down now. What we need to do is get it onto the statute as quickly as possible.”
Margaret Aspinall, whose son James died at Hillsborough aged 18, was one of the representatives of the families who met with the Prime Minister this morning. Mr Starmer told the ECHO he has known the inspirational campaigner for many years and knows she wouldn’t accept any watered down version of the Hillsborough Law Bill.
He said: “I first met her when I was director of public prosecutions. I’ve met her a number of times since then. I gave her my word that we would deliver this law.
“I’ve delivered on that promise and I’ve given her my word that we won’t water it down.” Mr Starmer faced criticism after he had previously pledged to bring in the law by the 36th anniversary of the tragedy, which was on April 15.
(left to right) Steve Kelly, Charlotte Hennessy, Margaret Aspinall and Sue Roberts in Downing Street after a meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer following the announcement of the Hillsborough Law(Image: PA)
Addressing the delay and why it has proven to be so difficult to get the legislation before Parliament, he said: “Often when you push things, the answer comes back no. I made it pretty clear that no was not the answer I was looking for, so we pressed through.
“That’s why we went to see Margaret up in Liverpool just a few months ago to have a proper discussion with her. We’ve had to push therefore to get this through, but that’s nothing compared to what these families have been fighting for for so many years.”
When asked by the ECHO whether he was surprised by the level of pushback he has faced from pushing through a law that will leave a legacy for future generations, the Prime Minister said: “I don’t want to criticise others, but we’ve had to push for this.
“At that point where it looked like we wouldn’t make the anniversary, that’s why I went for a private discussion with Margaret Aspinall because I wanted to explain, face to face, where we’re at and give her my determination that we would get this over the line, and, obviously, hear what she had to say. I chose to go and see Margaret for that reason.”
The Prime Minister said getting the law to the stage it’s at now is a testament to the families, who he praised as “unbelievable”. Among the significant package of measures, the Hillsborough Law Bill will also see the largest expansion of legal aid for a decade for bereaved families – providing non-means tested help and support for inquests, with the costs covered by the public body represented.
A legal duty will also be placed on public bodies to ensure their spending is always proportionate, stopping the state from hiding behind unjustifiably large legal teams at inquests and making sure both sides are on a fair and equal footing.
There will also be new guidance on how state bodies and their representatives should participate at inquests, aiming to ensure the state conducts itself with “openness and honesty” with the sole purpose of helping the coroner establish the facts of the case. And there will be a new offence created for misleading the public, with criminal sanctions for the most serious breaches
It is hoped this significant package of measures will ensure the tragic injustices of the past and the institutional failures that followed them, will never be repeated. The bill has been described as the most important change to how the nation’s justice system treats ordinary citizens since the Human Rights Act was introduced in 1998.
The Hillsborough families faced shameful lies and smears about their deceased family members for decades after their loved ones were unlawfully killed in a crush at Hillsborough Stadium after travelling to watch Liverpool take on Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup Semi-final on April 15, 1989.
Their tireless campaigning eventually resulted in fresh inquests finding their family members were unlawfully killed, which overturned the original inquest verdict of accidental death.
Despite their relentless efforts to achieve justice for those who died, tragically no one has been held legally accountable for the devastation, with match commander David Duckinfield’s trial collapsing in 2021.
But in getting a Hillsborough Law onto the statute books – the families have achieved an enormous legacy for their loved ones that should change the way this country operates and ensure no one else goes through what they have.
