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Starmer to use last week in power to push through Hillsborough law
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to use his final week as prime minister to push the long-delayed "Hillsborough law" through its remaining stages in the House of Commons. Officially the public office (accountability) bill, the legislation would strengthen support for families seeking justice after major disasters and create new offences for officials who deliberately mislead the public or obstruct accountability. Passing it would allow Starmer to leave office having delivered one of the defining manifesto commitments of his premiership, which he pledged at Labour's 2024 conference in Liverpool.
The bill takes its name from the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 Liverpool supporters died in a crush at an FA Cup semi-final; a 2016 inquest ruled the victims were unlawfully killed and cleared fans of any blame. Progress had stalled amid clashes over how the law would apply to the intelligence services, with MI5, MI6 and GCHQ raising national security concerns, and a proposed amendment letting intelligence chiefs decide on disclosure was dropped after a backlash from families and Labour MPs. Confusion persisted last week, with Justice Secretary David Lammy saying he was "confident" the bill would return "in the coming days", while others suggested it would wait until after recess; parliamentary business has now been updated to schedule the bill's remaining Commons stages on Tuesday, before it moves to the Lords.
In short
- Starmer to push Hillsborough law through Commons in his final week.
- Bill creates offences for officials who mislead or block accountability.
- Progress stalled over intelligence services' national security concerns.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Hillsborough law represents essential accountability that families fought for over decades. The inquest proved officials had misled the public and obstructed justice, yet institutional resistance delayed truth for years. Creating legal penalties for deliberate obstruction is vital to protect future families and ensure officials cannot evade accountability. Intelligence services should not be exempted from basic accountability standards that apply to all other state actors.
The case against
Intelligence agencies operate in genuinely sensitive environments where broad disclosure requirements could compromise ongoing operations, endanger intelligence officers, and damage allied partnerships. Their concerns reflect real operational realities rather than reflexive resistance to accountability. A carefully calibrated approach that maintains robust oversight whilst protecting legitimate security interests would better serve both transparency and national defence than blanket application of disclosure rules to classified intelligence work.
Explained simply
The Hillsborough disaster happened in 1989 when 97 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death during an FA Cup semi-final match at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium. A 2016 inquest ruled that the victims were unlawfully killed and that fans were not responsible, but their families have had to fight for years to establish this truth and secure accountability.
The proposed Hillsborough law would require the state to provide stronger support for families seeking justice after major disasters and would create new criminal offences for officials who deliberately mislead the public or obstruct investigations. It is designed to ensure that when catastrophes occur, authorities cannot avoid accountability or cover up what happened.
The bill has faced significant delays, particularly over concerns raised by Britain's intelligence agencies about how the law would apply to them and national security matters. The legislation represents a key promise that Labour made to voters, and delivering it has become a defining commitment of the current government.