New cover-up law delayed over concerns it will not fully apply to MI5

The next phase of new legislation designed to stop cover-ups has been delayed after MPs raised concerns about whether it would be fully applied to the security services, the BBC has learned.

Families grieving after last week’s Manchester Arena attack I wrote to the prime minister He called on him to ensure the full implementation of the so-called Hillsborough Act to MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. They haven’t received an answer yet.

The new bill was scheduled to be read for the third time in the House of Commons on Wednesday, but sources say it has been postponed until Monday due to growing concerns from MPs from different parties.

A government source said the delay would allow further “fine-tuning” of the bill to address these issues.

The new law follows campaigns by families affected by the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which killed 97 people.

Police leaders were identified as Spread false narratives about this disaster, blaming Liverpool fansand they hid the evidence of their own failures.

Families of the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing also expressed their support.

MI5 failed to give an “accurate picture” of key intelligence it had about the suicide bomber who carried out the attack, a public inquiry has found.

The law will impose a new legal duty on public institutions and officials to act honestly and fully support state investigations, ensuring that violations are not concealed by criminal penalties.

But as things stand, the “duty of candor” will not apply fully to individual MI5 officers, unlike people working for organizations such as the police.

Pete Weatherby KC, director of the Hillsborough Law Now (HLN) campaign that helped introduce the bill, told the BBC he had been “misled” by the government during negotiations.

He said campaigners agreed that a key part of the law should apply to individual intelligence officers, but the government later added a “secret” clause to the draft law that would prevent it from working as intended.

Ministers are understood to be considering HLN’s proposed changes. Campaigners have opposed the government’s own changes.

The new law, known as the Public Office (Liability) Act, has three pillars:

• The first imposes a general duty of honesty on all public officials; This means that they will be asked to proactively tell the truth in their working lives.
• The second is an auxiliary duty of honesty that applies to official investigations, including inquiries and investigations.
• Third, it is designed to rebalance funding for legal representation of government agencies and victims during investigations

In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer last week, the families of the five people killed in the Manchester bombing asked: “How many times must MI5 show that it cannot be trusted before anything is done?”

They added that they were “appalled” that the current writing of the draft bill would allow MI5 and other intelligence agencies to “completely evade their responsibility for candor”.

“Every security and intelligence officer should be expected to tell the truth, and the leaders of the organizations must bear full responsibility.”

In response, a government spokesman said last week: “The Hillsborough Bill will put a definitive end to the culture of cover-up and hiding the truth, ensuring transparency, accountability and support for people affected.

“The law will cover all public authorities, including intelligence agencies.

“The bill creating the Hillsborough Act is currently going through Parliament and we are listening to feedback on how we can strengthen it while protecting national security.”