logo
Campaigners raise concerns over delays to the Hillsborough Law

Campaigners raise concerns over delays to the Hillsborough Law

ITV News18-06-2025

ITV Granada's political correspondent Lise McNally looks into concerns surrounding the Hillsborough Law.
Campaigners fear the proposed Hillsborough Law aimed at combatting establishment cover-ups is in danger of being watered down.The Government promised to pass the law before the latest anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster in April but there is still no sign of it coming before Parliament. Those who support the Bill say it is about much more than the legacy of Hillsborough - they say it's to protect all victims of avoidable harm, like the Infected Blood and Post Office scandals, Grenfell and grooming gangs.
Campaigners say to be a true legacy for the '97, the Hillsborough law must contain three basic principles, to protect the public if they're caught up in any disasters where the state could try to cover up its mistakes.
Duty of Candour - This would compel public bodies and their employees to tell the truth in any inquiry and actively provide evidence and assistance.
Criminal Sanctions - Those found to have lied about wrongdoing must face criminal sanctions.
Parity of Funding - Bereaved families should be given parity of funding, so they can afford the same quality of lawyers as the public authorities they need to challenge.
It is believed that how these could work in practice have caused disagreements and delays in Whitehall.
The MP for Liverpool West Derby Ian Byrne fears the Hillsborough Law will be watered down.
The MP for Liverpool West Derby Ian Byrne was at Hillsborough on the day of the disaster. He is very worried that when the law finally does appear - it won't go far enough.
"It's going to be a piece of legislation which changes the culture of cover ups and changes the very fabric within this country.
"We cannot allow a continuation of the betrayal of the Hillsborough families and survivors in my city, if this isn't delivered."
Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall told the Prime Minister to "do the right thing."
Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall lost her son James in the disaster, she says any watering down of the law would be a disgrace. "We had to go campaigning to raise funds as well, trying to get over your loss.
"You'll never get over that. We can't bring them back.
"But to deal with the media, to campaign for funding, to beg for the release of all documentation, and not get it. We had all that to face.
"Do I want other people, the ordinary people to face that ever again? No. Things have got to change.
"So if we can do anything to change that system, my jobs is done. That is my job completely finished.
"I thought it was finished at the second inquest, if we got accountability, never realised, my job is still not done.
"And I've told Mr Starmer, it won't be done and I will never rest in peace until we have Hillsborough in all its entirety, for the good of this nation."
Today the Deputy Prime Minister claimed the government 'remains fully committed' to introducing a Hillsborough Law with work 'at pace' to get it right.
During Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon, Deputy PM Angela Rayner, said legislation would be brought forward 'as soon as we're confident they will deliver the justice victims deserve.'
She was questioned on the delay by Anneliese Midgley, Labour MP for Knowsley.
She said: ''Last Saturday marked eight years since Grenfell, eight years fighting for justice. The Hillsborough families, including Margaret Aspinall, from Huyton, have campaigned for 36 years for the Hillsborough law, decades.
'Can the Deputy Prime Minister tell me today will this Labour government bring forward the Hillsborough law without delay?
Will it honour promises made to victims of state cover-ups and will it finally deliver justice for the 97?'
Ms Rayner said: 'I thank my honourable friend for her question and the work with campaigners like Margaret in their fight for justice. We remain fully committed to bringing a Hillsborough Law.
'The state has failed victims and their families too many times in the past and that is precisely why our focus is on getting the legislation right.
"I can assure her measures will be brought forward as soon as we're confident they will deliver the justice victims deserve and we want to do this at pace.'
Until the legislation is laid down before Parliament, the legacy of the Hillsborough disaster remains up in the air.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

State pension plan £580 a week and retirement age 60 in 'living wage' campaign
State pension plan £580 a week and retirement age 60 in 'living wage' campaign

Daily Mirror

time36 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

State pension plan £580 a week and retirement age 60 in 'living wage' campaign

A petition to Parliament is demanding the state pension increase to the equivalent of 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage, which pays £12.21 an hour for workers Campaigners are rallying for a dramatic increase in the state pension to over £30,000 a year and a reduction in the age of eligibility to 60. A petition to Parliament is demanding that the state pension be equivalent to 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage, which currently stands at £12.21 an hour for workers aged over 21. The campaign also advocates for a significant reduction in the retirement age to 60 - the current state pension age is 66 for both men and women, and is set to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028. The petition implores: "We want the Government to make the state pension available from the age of 60 & increase this to equal 48hrs a week at the National Living Wage." ‌ Hence from April 2025 a universal state pension should be £586.08 per week or about £30,476.16 per year as a right to all including expatriates, age 60 and above. ‌ "Such a hike would more than double the full new state pension rate, which currently stands at £230.25 a week, or £11,973 a year. The campaigners have also voiced concerns that the government intends to make the state pension system less petition states: "We think that government policy seems intent on the state pension being a benefit not paid to all, while ever increasing the age of entitlement. "We want reforms to the state pension, so that it is available to all including expatriates, from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage, for security." If the petition garners 10,000 signatures, the government will be obliged to respond. If it reaches a whopping 100,000 supporters, the issue could be up for debate in Parliament, reports the Express. To qualify for the full new state pension, you generally need a record of 35 years of National Insurance contributions. The full basic state pension currently stands at £176.45 a week, and typically requires 30 years of contributions. Individuals can check their projected state pension using the state pension forecast tool on the government website. State pension payments see an annual increase each April, thanks to the triple lock policy, which determines the percentage increase for payment rates. The triple lock ensures a pay rise in line with the highest of either inflation, average earnings growth, or 2.5 per cent. Based on recent figures, the earnings metric looks set to be the key determinant for next April's increase, standing at 5.3 per cent in the latest data. Inflation was recorded at 3.4 per cent for the year to May, a slight decrease from 3.5 per cent for the year to April.

Prime Minister meets trainee pilots and sees a flight simulator at RAF Valley
Prime Minister meets trainee pilots and sees a flight simulator at RAF Valley

North Wales Live

timean hour ago

  • North Wales Live

Prime Minister meets trainee pilots and sees a flight simulator at RAF Valley

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met trainee pilots and their families and was shown a flight simulator on a visit to RAF Valley on Anglesey. The No 10. leader made the visit yesterday to help mark Armed Forces Day today as he prepared to attend the Welsh Labour Party conference in Llandudno. Armed Forces Day takes place on the last Saturday of June. It is a chance to show support for the men and women who make up the UK's military units. The PM was joined at RAF Valley by Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan MS and Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens MP. Today on Armed Forces Day there will be events to support serving personnel, service families, veterans and cadets. They will take place across the country with a national event in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday It comes as the Government confirms plans for the first time that all government departments will have to legally consider the needs of the Armed Forces community when making new policy. More details of the legal duty will be set out in due course but could include initiatives such as extending travel benefits to the families of veterans and the bereaved, or flexible working for partners of serving personnel who are required to move as part for their role in the Armed Forces. The Government says this delivers on a manifesto promise and is part of the Government's commitment to renew the nation's contract with those who serve and following the Strategic Defence Review, which underscored the role the Armed Forces play in protecting our national security, which it says is the foundation of the Government's Plan for Change. The Government says it is committed to renewing its contract with the Armed Forces community, delivering two above inflation pay awards for service personnel and an extra £1.5bn investment this parliament to improve forces' family housing through the Strategic Defence Review. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 'Across the country and around the world, our service personnel and their families make the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and protect our freedom and our way of life. 'When I became Prime Minister, I made a promise to serve those who have served us. Through the new Armed Forces Covenant, we are delivering on that promise - ensuring our service personnel, veterans and their families are treated with the respect they deserve - that is our duty."

Government warned that Welsh universities are in an 'precarious position'
Government warned that Welsh universities are in an 'precarious position'

Wales Online

time3 hours ago

  • Wales Online

Government warned that Welsh universities are in an 'precarious position'

Government warned that Welsh universities are in an 'precarious position' The alert from MPs follows a union claiming there is a real danger that a Welsh university could collapse as they face a £70m+ combined deficit, squeezed budgets and rising costs Welsh Affairs Committee chair Ruth Jones MP (Image: Mark Lewis Photography ) Welsh universities are in an "acutely precarious position", a parliamentary committee has warned. The alert follows a union claiming that there is "a real danger a Welsh university could collapse". The Welsh Affairs Committee is calling on the UK and Welsh governments to look at university funding again. Vice chancellors claim the current model isn't working as they face vast deficits and cuts. MPs on the Welsh affairs committee are calling on the UK Government "to think again on how universities are supported at a systemic level and to work with the Welsh Government to put them on a sustainable footing." ‌ Universities say they are struggling to make ends meet with fewer higher paying international students, increased costs and home tuition fees not covering the price of running those courses. ‌ Swansea University Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Boyle says the current university funding model is "unsustainable" In a statement after taking evidence from of all Welsh universities the committee, chaired by Newport West and Islwyn MP Ruth Jones ,said said: "universities in Wales are in an acutely precarious position, as they face up to wide-ranging challenges including falling admissions among Welsh young people, declining international student numbers and tuition fees lagging far behind inflation." The statement went on to say that the committee noted that this week's Industrial Strategy acknowledged the critical role universities play in driving skills and innovation, while they also hold "huge economic and civic importance to communities up and down Wales". You can read details of what vice chancellors told the Welsh Affairs Committee here. Article continues below Professor Wendy Larner, Vice Chancellor of cardiff-university>Cardiff University, told the committee on June 25 that this is 'an existential moment for universities' and that universities 'need to be different for the future'. Professor Paul Boyle, Vice Chancellor of Swansea University, added that universities are working towards financial sustainability within a system that 'does not lend itself to that sustainability'. Hearing from them and other vice chancellors the committee said: "The status quo is unsustainable. It's therefore crucial that the UK Government acts, together with its Welsh Government partners, as part of its promised major reforms for higher education." ‌ Sign up for our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. Despite recent rises in home tuition fees and an extra £18m+ from the Welsh Government this year for universities in Wales say this extra income was all but wiped out by a collective £18m+ national insurance bill and other rising bills. But critics, and some university staff say thay there is a risk in increasing domestic fees. A further rise may deter home students from applying at the same time as fewer international students want to come to university here. It could also make university less attractive to people from less well off households and affect widening participation. Article continues below Nearly every university is making cuts with hundreds of jobs shed, courses earmarked for closure and warnings of more savings ahead.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store