MPs expected to approve long-delayed Hillsborough Law

Sir Keir’s expected successor Andy Burnham said the debate would be a “deeply moving moment”. Both men are expected to speak in the House of Commons later.

The proposed law takes its name from the Hillsborough disaster, which occurred during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday in 1989, in which 97 people lost their lives.

Police leaders were revealed to have spread false narratives about the disaster, blaming Liverpool fans and hiding evidence of their own failings.

The law, which also promises to provide legal aid for disaster victims or state-related deaths, was also included in the Labor Party’s 2024 general election manifesto. It is formally known as the Public Office (Liability) Bill.

Sir Keir had promised to pass the bill by 15 April 2025 to mark the 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

But that deadline was missed and the government abandoned the final debate in January following a backlash from campaigners and some Labor MPs.

This came after the change of government, with intelligence officials cooperating with their investigations subject to the service chief’s approval.

Bereaved families said MI5 and MI6 officers should be fully subject to the proposed law and pointed to a number of cases in which MI5 provided false information, including the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

The government has now tabled amendments to the bill, with Justice Minister Catherine Atkinson saying they had listened to experts, campaigners, MPs and colleagues.

Atkinson said the changes would ensure “the duty of honesty that applies to all individual intelligence officers in establishing secure procedures for disclosing sensitive information”.

Atkinson told the Commons that intelligence workers who receive a request for protected information should send it to the head of their organisation, not directly to an inquiry or investigation.

The head of the intelligence agency will then be responsible for sharing the information with public investigators.

Conservative shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy said he believed everyone agreed on the need for accountability but described the late implementation of the changes as a “mess”.

He said the government had made “contradictory promises” to those campaigning for the law and to intelligence agencies, adding that ministers were “now acting as if there were no problems”.

Timothy said Sir Keir was “desperate to earn a legacy and praise” before Burnham took over, adding: “The government has watered down protections specifically proposed for MI5, MI6 and GCHQ in January.”

Changes are being evaluated at this stage: The report phase of the bill was started before it was approved in the third reading on Tuesday.

The bill will then be sent to the House of Lords, where it may be further amended, including by peers concerned about the bill’s impact on national security.

On Tuesday, Downing Street said the government wanted the legislation to be on the statute book by April next year, the next anniversary date.

Ahead of the debate, Sir Keir said the “landmark legislation” was “a tribute to the incredible families and campaigners who have fought over decades to get justice for their loved ones”.

“They suffered unimaginable pain and never gave up. Without their sacrifice, the Hillsborough Act would never have happened,” he added.

During the debate on the bill in November last year, Sir Keir also stressed that Hillsborough was not an isolated example of a state cover-up.

He cited failures linked to other scandals such as the Grenfell Tower fire, infected blood and grooming rings.

Burnham, who will replace Sir Keir as prime minister on July 20, said the Hillsborough families had “shown extraordinary courage” and were “helping to reshape the relationship between people and state for generations to come”.

The Labor MP for Makerfield also said he believed there was a need to “build a Britain where every community is treated with equal respect and where no one walks alone in the face of injustice”.

Hillsborough Law campaigners, including those whose family members died in the 1989 disaster, welcomed the bill’s return to the House of Commons.

Charlotte Hennessy, Sue Roberts, Steve Kelly and Margaret Aspinall said in a statement: “This is not just about legislation, it’s about changing the culture and the way bereaved and survivors are treated, and it’s incredibly empowering to know that this protects others forever.”