No watering down of Hillsborough Law, says Lammy ahead of first debate

The courage of campaigners whose lives were devastated by state scandals will be honoured as the so-called Hillsborough Law comes before Parliament for its first debate, the Justice Secretary has said.

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill will have its second reading in Parliament on Monday, having been formally introduced in the Commons in September to begin the journey towards becoming law.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously pledged to bring it before Parliament by the 36th anniversary of the tragedy, which was on April 15, but Downing Street then said more time was needed to redraft it amid concerns among some campaigners that the Bill’s contents had been diluted and would not include a legal duty of candour.

Known as the Hillsborough Law, the Bill is intended to make sure the authorities will face criminal sanctions if they attempt to cover up the facts behind disasters such as the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy or the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire.

Ahead of Monday’s debate, David Lammy – who is also deputy prime minister – described the Bill as “landmark legislation” and paid tribute to the decades of campaigning by the bereaved and survivors of major scandals.

He said: “Despite facing unthinkable loss, cowardly cover-ups, and denials of justice, the families and victims of Hillsborough, Grenfell, infected blood and other British tragedies did something extraordinary: they kept going. This landmark legislation is for them, and for the memory of all the loved ones they lost.

“Second Reading is where we start honouring that courage by beginning this Bill’s journey through Parliament: to finally place a legal duty of candour on all public officials; to give grieving victims the legal help and support they need at inquests; and to make clear that misleading the public carries real consequences.”

He pledged to ensure the Bill is passed in its “current, strong form” and not “watered down” during its passage through Parliament.

He said: “We will do everything we can to pass this legislation in its current, strong form. We welcome scrutiny that sharpens the Bill – but we will not allow the principles that give the Hillsborough Law its meaning and purpose to be watered down.

“With this monumental piece of legislation, we will help deliver our Plan for Change by making sure that truth and justice will no longer have to be prised from closed doors, and that families seeking answers will never again be left to fight alone.”

The Hillsborough disaster led to the deaths of 97 football fans during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the football ground in Sheffield.

Victims have previously told how they were “left with no transparency, no truth” only “justice cover-ups and a system that closes ranks and protects those who we should trust – ordinary people that are thrown into an alien system designed to shield the state from scrutiny and accountability”.

Supporters of a duty of candour for public officials include victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people, and the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, which saw hundreds of people wrongfully prosecuted and convicted.

Among what the Government has previously described as the “seismic changes” as part of the Bill, are the biggest expansion of legal aid in a decade for bereaved families, with non-means tested help and support for inquests.

There will also be a new offence for misleading the public, which the Government said will mean criminal sanctions for the most serious breaches.

Paula Sussex, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman, said the new duty of candour “can be a defining moment in how our democracy works”.

She said: “The provisions in this Bill will go a long way to rebuild that trust between government and people.

“Trust is fragile and restoring it is a long-term effort. Rebuilt not by words, but by actions that show fairness, accountability, and respect for every citizen.”

Published: 03/11/2025 by Radio NewsHub