Key facts
- The Hillsborough Law mandates a legal duty of candor for public officials concerning public tragedies.
- The law was unanimously approved by British lawmakers after being delayed by disputes over security service coverage.
- The bill is named after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster where 97 Liverpool fans died.
- An independent inquiry found police cover-ups and blame were wrongly placed on fans.
- The law will become official after approval by the House of Lords.
British lawmakers have unanimously approved the Hillsborough Law, a piece of legislation aimed at preventing public officials from covering up errors and wrongdoing during public tragedies. The bill, officially known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, imposes a legal duty of candor on public officials, requiring them to disclose truthful information regardless of reputational impact.
The law is named after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, where 97 Liverpool soccer fans died in a crush at Hillsborough Stadium. An independent inquiry in 2012 revealed that police had covered up their mistakes and wrongly blamed the deaths on unruly supporters. A second inquest in 2016 concluded that the victims were unlawfully killed due to failings by the police, ambulance service, and Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.
The bill's passage through the House of Commons was delayed due to disagreements over whether it would apply to Britain's intelligence services. Following pressure from victims' families, the government agreed to include the intelligence services under a "secure process" for disclosing information that could affect national security.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had promised the law during his 2024 election campaign, opened the debate in the Commons. His successor, Andy Burnham, who has long advocated for the bereaved families, stated the law represents a "rewiring of the state" and a shift of power to ordinary people. Labour lawmaker Ian Byrne, a survivor of the Hillsborough tragedy, expressed hope that the law would prevent future families from having to fight the state for truth.