Latest editorial
Floral tributes are left by the Hillsborough Memorial at Anfield, Liverpool, on the 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, April 15, 2025
A CAMPAIGNER whose son died in the Hillsborough disaster said she is “over the moon” as a law to improve accountability in public office is expected to clear the Commons this week.
The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law, would create a legally enforceable duty of candour compelling public officials to act transparently during investigations and inquiries.
It takes its name from the 1989 disaster in which 97 Liverpool fans died at Sheffield’s Hillsborough stadium.
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died in the crush, said: “Our families have worked hard for this, but it’s not for us, it’s for the country.
“People have to tell the truth, whoever they are.
“The lies have cost millions. The cover-ups have cost millions. The truth costs nothing.”
The Bill was previously delayed over concerns from the security services, but ministers say amendments now ensure intelligence employees will be covered by the duty of candour without compromising national security.
A government source said: “The Hillsborough Law will fundamentally change the balance of power so the state can never hide from the people it is supposed to serve, and so victims can always get justice.”
The public inquiry is the result of more than a decade of determined campaigning. Now, those who fought for justice want the full story of government involvement and police conduct to be told, says KATE FLANNERY
KENNY MacASKILL says the lines between party, government and Civil Service in Scotland have been blurred and we need a thorough investigation into how
YVETTE WILLIAMS and JOE DELANEY dissect the institutional dawdling that rubbed salt into the Grenfell open wounds prolonging the agony of survivors
