Hillsborough law could leave families waiting even longer in search for justice

Keir Starmer's £183m plan to empower victims of disasters could delay the quest for the truth and end up pleasing only lawyers

- Rachel Sylvester

Starmer with Margaret Aspinall, whose son James died at Hillsborough. Inset, the Grenfell memorial. Getty

(Getty)

At this year's Labour conference in Liverpool, Keir Starmer was introduced by Margaret Aspinall, whose son James was killed in the Hillsborough disaster. The prime minister paid tribute to the many families who have lost loved ones in national catastrophes and then had their personal pain compounded by public sector cover-ups or contempt. “Whether it’s Hillsborough, Grenfell, Windrush, Horizon, the grooming gangs, infected blood and so many more, the British state consistently refused to see injustice because of who the victims are,” he said.

The public office (accountability) bill - also known as the Hillsborough law - that is going through parliament is the government's answer to the failures that have followed successive scandals and tragedies, including the 1989 football stadium disaster in Sheffield that killed 97 people.

The proposed legislation imposes a statutory “duty of candour”, requiring state agencies and public officials to tell the truth and cooperate fully with all investigations. The bill also introduces a new right to what is called “parity of arms”, ensuring bereaved families have state-funded legal representation during an inquest at the same level as public bodies.

After the Hillsborough disaster, public officials had lawyers financed by the taxpayer, whereas the bereaved had to fund themselves. Aspinall, who has been campaigning tirelessly for more than 30 years, welcomes the changes that are being introduced. “It’s very important that there’s a level playing field,” she said.

The legislation, which was first introduced as a private member's bill by the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, in 2017, when he was an MP, has become a personal cause for Starmer and is totemic in the Labour party.