NEWS of the Hillsborough “unlawful killing” verdict was greeted with a standing ovation for the jury at the annual delegate meeting of shop workers’ union Usdaw in Blackpool yesterday.

General secretary John Hannett broke the news at the town’s Winter Gardens conference centre — and attacked the Sun newspaper for its scurrilous coverage of the disaster.

“We can only imagine the trauma and difficulty those family members faced as they struggled for justice over many years, particularly when the Establishment did everything to avoid the truth coming out and justice being done,” he told delegates.

“Let’s not forget the Sun headlines that did everything to demean and demonise people who were effectively killed as a result of negligence. What a disgraceful piece of journalism!”

The Sun accused Liverpool fans of being drunk and causing the disaster. The story prompted a spontaneous boycott of the newspaper in Liverpool, which continues today.