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Sky News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer warned over fears of 'toothless' Hillsborough Law replacement
Why you can trust Sky News More than 130 MPs have urged Sir Keir Starmer to deliver the Hillsborough Law as promised - amid claims it is being watered-down with a "toothless" replacement. Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, has written to the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, over concerns that officials have "carved out" key elements of the long-awaited legislation. The Hillsborough Law is intended to prevent future state cover-ups by putting a legal duty of candour on public servants to tell the truth, with criminal sanctions for lying. It also includes a commitment to funding so families receive proportional legal representation in battles with official bodies. The bill had its first reading in 2017 when it was introduced by Andy Burnham and supported by Steve Rotheram who were MPs at the time. In his letter, Mr Byrne said a draft government version of the law, shown to the now Great Manchester and Liverpool City Region mayors respectively and one of the campaign's lawyers in March, did not contain the key provisions. In particular, he said it did not contain a duty of candour, only an "aspirational objective". He said there was also "no reference at all" to the rebalancing of resources for legal representation for families at inquests and inquiries. As Sky News reported at the time, the government paused the process to listen to these concerns, meaning it missed its own deadline to implement the law by the most recent anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April. However campaigners have not been shown the latest draft and say meetings with ministers and officials have indicated the Hillsborough Law is still to be replaced with weaker legislation. 'Legally nothing left' In particular, there are concerns the obligation to be truthful would be applied only to some investigations and could even be reduced to a professional duty dealt with by codes or staff handbooks rather than a criminal backstop. A government spokesperson said they are "fully committed" to a legal duty of candour with criminal sanctions for those who don't comply. However Elkan Abrahamson, one of the lawyers who drafted the original Hillsborough Law, told Sky News: "It's easy to talk about commitment but until we see something in writing... we don't know what that means." He said that under the government's proposals there would "legally be nothing left" of the original bill, adding: "My message to them is rip up your draft, go back to ours and tell us what the problem is and we will sort it with you." The government declined to say what its concerns are with the Hillsborough Law when asked by Sky News. It has said it wants to bring the legislation in "at pace" but "having consulted with campaign groups, we know more time is needed to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law". 1:36 At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool in 2022 when he was still in opposition, Sir Keir said that "one of his first" acts as prime minister if he won the election would be "to put the Hillsborough Law on the statute book". The Times has reported officials have concerns that the Hillsborough Law could punish junior civil servants who turn up late for work and lie about it. But in his letter, signed by 136 cross-party MPs and 29 peers, Mr Byrne said "that is manifestly not correct". He added: "We have no doubt that the attempts to replace the bill with wholly deficient and ineffective redrafts are led by those who are most likely to be affected by the Hillsborough Law: senior civil servants and public institutions who want to retain their impunity in protecting their reputations above telling the truth." 'Toothless replacement' He called on the prime minister to "show leadership and strength" in implementing the Hillsborough Law in full "and not some toothless replacement". "We urge you not to pass up this opportunity to achieve generational culture change, and a step change in the integrity of public life." The campaign for the Hillsborough Law follows a decades-long fight for justice for the 97 football fans who were unlawfully killed after gross negligence by police at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield in 1989. Shortly before kick-off, supporters were let through a gate, which caused crowding in the stand and a crush. Nobody has ever been convicted for its subsequent cover-up.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Weakened Hillsborough Law would not get family support, says MP
A Liverpool MP has said introducing a weakened Hillsborough Law without the requirement for public officials to tell the truth at major inquiries would be a "mistake" and "fall far short of what was promised". Labour's Ian Byrne has written to Sir Keir Starmer to demand a "duty of candour" obligation was not dropped amid fears it had been removed from a draft version of the prime minister had pledged to introduce the law by April for the 36th anniversary of the 1989 disaster, but the deadline was missed. A government spokesperson said, having consulted with campaign groups, it knew "more time" was needed to draft the "best version of a Hillsborough Law". Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told MPs last week the government remained committed to the bill and the "focus is on getting the legislation right".Proposals for the law include a legal responsibility for public servants to tell the truth, and to provide legal funding to those affected by state-related he became prime minister last year, Sir Keir Starmer said: "one of my first acts would be to bring in a Hillsborough Law - a duty of candour". He previously said while Labour leader that the law would help prevent cover-ups like the infected blood and Post Office scandals. In his letter to the prime minister, Byrne said a draft version of the bill shown to lawyers in March did not include any of these key pledges."In particular it did not contain a duty of candour, merely an aspirational objective," he said a bill without this "will not command the support of Hillsborough families, nor other victims of state cover-ups".Byrne, who represents Liverpool West Derby, said there were also concerns the obligation to be truthful would be "applied only to some investigations" and some public bodies could be exempt. Hillsborough disaster Ninety-seven fans died as a result of a crush at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium in 2016, an inquest jury found that Liverpool fans were not to blame for what happened and those who died were unlawfully blamed police failures, stadium design defects and a delayed response by the ambulance 2021, the South Yorkshire and West Midlands police forces agreed to pay damages to more than 600 people over a cover-up which followed the forces apologised for "profound failings", saying they had "got it badly wrong". Byrne said attempts to replace the bill with "wholly deficient and ineffective redrafts are led by those who are most likely to be affected. "Senior civil servants and public institutions who want to retain their impunity in protecting their reputations above telling the truth."He called on the prime minister "not to pass up this opportunity to achieve generational culture change".Liam Robertson, Labour leader of Liverpool City Council, told BBC Politics North West on Sunday: "The government has to get this right, we all have to get this right and that's why it has to be the Hillsborough Law in full, as supported by the Hillsborough families."A government spokesperson said the Hillsborough disaster was "one of the greatest stains on British history"."The families of those who lost loved ones have shown endless determination to get justice," they said."We remain fully committed to bringing in this legislation at pace, which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
ITV News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Campaigners raise concerns over delays to the Hillsborough Law
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 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.
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Government urged not to weaken ‘Hillsborough Law' as MPs demand Bill is passed
MPs have demanded that the Government does not weaken a law designed to prevent cover-ups in the wake of major disasters, as they urged it to be passed as soon as possible. Labour MP Clive Efford (Eltham and Chislehurst) warned Commons Leader Lucy Powell that the Public Authorities Accountability Bill, which will include the 'Hillsborough Law', should not be changed under pressure from Whitehall. Mr Efford asked for it to be passed before the end of July. Meanwhile his party colleague Ian Byrne (Liverpool West Derby) asked for the Bill to be 'worthy of the name'. The proposed law would require public bodies to have a duty of candour. This means they would need to co-operate with official inquiries and tell the truth in the aftermath of major disasters – or face criminal sanctions. A previous deadline set by Labour, that the Bill would be passed before the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in April, has been missed. The Government had said it needed more time to finalise the Bill. A draft Bill has been criticised by campaigners, including the Hillsborough Law Now group, for not containing pledges previously made – including the duty of candour. Speaking at business questions, Mr Efford said: 'Can (Ms Powell) tell me when we're likely to see the Public Authorities Accountability Bill, this introduces the Hillsborough Law on duty of candour. 'Are we likely to see it before the summer recess? 'And can I have an assurance that this is not being watered down at the request of the mandarins in the Cabinet Office?' Ms Powell said: 'The Government remains focused, very much focused on fulfilling our commitment to the Hillsborough families and indeed many other families affected by injustices and scandals and bringing forward and enacting a Hillsborough Law which includes, of course, a duty of candour. 'I think the most important issue is to ensure that we get this legislation right, and that it does reflect the full range of concerns and experiences and does meet the expectations of the families. 'So we are working on that Bill at pace, but we will take whatever time is necessary to work collaboratively and get the legislation right.' In March it was reported that a meeting between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and campaigners had been cancelled, with claims officials were attempting to have the contents of the Bill watered down. It is understood concerns related to who the duty of candour would apply to. Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in Sheffield in 1989. Mr Byrne told the Commons: 'The Prime Minister promised my city and all those affected by state cover-ups that the Hillsborough Law would be introduced before April 15 of this year – the 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. 'Almost two months have passed since the Prime Minister missed that deadline. 'This is particularly disappointing, since there is a draft Hillsborough Law ready to go, written by legal experts, endorsed by survivors, families, campaigners and proposed in Parliament by Andy Burnham.' The Liverpool West Derby MP added that 'a failure to introduce a Hillsborough Law worthy of the name will be seen as a continuation of the betrayal of families and survivors of Hillsborough and all those affected by state cover-ups'. Ms Powell said the Government was 'working at pace' and was co-operating with families and their representatives. She said: 'At these times, we always remember those affected by the Hillsborough disaster but particularly the plight that they have faced ever since to fight for justice and fight for accountability.' Ms Powell added: 'It's absolutely vital that we get this legislation right, that it is workable and watertight in legal terms, but it does meet the expectations and the needs of the families and all those affected.' Meanwhile shadow commons leader Jesse Norman said Wednesday's spring statement by Rachel Reeves was an 'exercise in distraction and sleight of hand'. He claimed the planned £14 billion of efficiency savings were 'illusionary' and said the measures included by the Chancellor would lead to £140 billion in borrowing. Mr Norman said: 'The truth is plain, there will be a tax cut for the people of Mauritius. 'For the rest of us, the spending review was a gigantic speculative splurge of spending, presented by smoke and mirrors, which will end up – as it always does with Labour – with higher taxes, and British taxpayers will have to bear the impact.' Ms Powell replied: 'As ever, their economic argument is utterly incoherent. 'On the one hand, they're saying we're spending too much, and on the other that we're not spending even more on police and defence. 'They're criticising us on growth, yet they don't want the investment to turbocharge our productivity and therefore our growth. 'We're the party with a plan. 'We've got a plan to renew Britain.'
New Statesman
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Ian Byrne: 'Hunger is a political choice'
Photo byShortly after Labour's landslide victory at the general election in July 2024, the party removed the whip from seven of its MPs. All seven had voted for an amendment to the King's Speech tabled by the SNP, which would have removed the two-child benefit cap. Among the seven was Ian Byrne, the 52-year-old MP for Liverpool West Derby, a former trade union organiser and previously the office manager for fellow Liverpool Labour MP, Dan Carden. Byrne was first elected to parliament in 2019 and was re-elected in 2024 (although with a decreased majority). In August, he had the whip reinstated alongside four others in the group, including fellow Corbyn-aligned leftwingers Richard Burgon and Rebecca Long-Bailey. When I met Byrne at his parliamentary offices on a bright morning in March, he calmly reiterated his opposition to the two-child cap: 'We won't solve the issue of child poverty without removing it.' For Byrne, tackling child poverty has become a driving mission, so he felt he couldn't turn his back on it that day in the Commons chamber. This mission has deep roots. Before he was elected to parliament, Byrne was employed by Unite, helping organise sub-contracted NHS workers for better pay and conditions. One morning, he and his colleague, Dave Kelly, visited a community centre 'a stone's throw away from Anfield', near to where Byrne (a lifelong Liverpool fan) was living. On his way into the community centre, Byrne saw a group of people in a queue. 'I didn't know what they were queuing up for,' he told me, 'I realised it was for a food bank.' When Byrne looked closer, he saw that there were people he knew in the queue. Though the charity was run on generous donations from locals, the community was struggling. This is reflected in the data. Liverpool is the third most deprived local authority area in England: 63 per cent of its residents live in places that are ranked among the most deprived in England. Three in ten children in the city live in poverty. After seeing people he knew in the queue to access provisions at the food bank, Byrne couldn't sleep that night. 'I felt ashamed of myself that I didn't realise the extent of what we were actually seeing,' he said. The scale of this emergency is stark; and it is growing. According to data from the Department for Work and Pensions, in 2022-23, 2.3 million people lived in a household that had used a food bank in the past 12 months. Between 2017-18 and 2023-24, the number of emergency food parcels handed out by the Trussell Trust more than doubled, from 1.4 million to 3.1 million. A night of tossing and turning moulded an idea, and the next morning, Byrne immediately got in touch with Kelly (an Everton supporter) to start moving. 'I got in touch with Dave and said, maybe we utilise the power of the supporters – we're so close to Anfield and Goodison [Park],' Byrne told me. His plan was to harness the support of the 60,000 Liverpool and 40,000 Everton supporters who descend on the same L4 postcode to watch the two teams play. Their plan was to ask supporters to contribute food or other supplies that would then be redistributed across the city. As fans of the game will know, to have founded a charity that brings together these two ultra-rivals (Liverpool and Everton) is no mean feat. At the teams' next matches, Byrne and Kelly rocked up outside each stadium with wheelie bins, into which fans were encouraged to donate items of food and other essentials. And so, Fans Supporting Foodbanks was born. 'We haven't missed a match at Liverpool and Everton since 2015,' Byrne told me. The initiative has proliferated in the decade since its conception. The team have upgraded from their humble wheelie-bin beginnings and now station trucks outside Anfield and Goodison Park, and are there 'three hours before kick-off at every game, asking fans to contribute through donations of food', Byrne said. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Those donations support the eight food pantries that are run by Fans Supporting Foodbanks across Liverpool, which the charity has set up to look like farmer's markets. Byrne explained that this is to free them from stigma. 'Food banks are appalling places,' he said. 'The services the volunteers give are magnificent. But it was just so demeaning for the people accessing them. You could see they were defeated before they went in.' By putting more thought into what the food banks could be, or offer to the local community, their influence grew. 'A lot of people go now for the camaraderie as well as the food. It's a place where they feel comfortable, and they feel welcomed. I think that's really important,' Byrne said. Byrne was born in 1972 in Liverpool and grew up on the Stockbridge Village Estate in Knowsley, then known as Cantril Farm. In the 1980s, the estate became synonymous with deprivation and unemployment (the rate was almost 50 per cent for men and 80 per cent for young people after the north-west was particularly hard hit by deindustrialisation). In 1989, when he was 16, Byrne was present at the Hillsborough disaster, the fatal crowd crush which caused the deaths of 97 people. In the following weeks, the police passed false stories to the press that suggested that the incident had been caused by football hooligans and drunkenness among Liverpool FC supporters. Byrne's father was injured in the crush. 'Being at Hillsborough and witnessing the injustice, I think that's why I'm here today,' Byrne said. 'I think that's why I went into the trade union movement and why I got into community activism.' He added: 'You're seeing injustice everywhere and you think, well, what can I do to assist and make change for the better?' With the arrival of a Labour government, Byrne sees an opportunity to resolve this crisis. 'We've got an unbelievable mandate to tackle the issues and that is, for me, what the Labour party was set up to do.' Instituting a Right to Food is top of his requests, as is removing the two-child benefit cap. But he is adamant there cannot be a return to austerity. 'I look at how my city and constituency have been decimated after 15 years of austerity. People can't take it any more. There's nothing more to give.' Indeed, Byrne is worried that if people do not see a tangible improvement in their living standards, Labour risks opening the door to something else coming down the line – namely, Reform. 'People will think, well, I've given the Tories a chance. They've done nothing for me. The Labour Party, we've given them a chance. If they've done nothing for five years, they could quite easily turn to someone like Nigel Farage,' Byrne told me. 'He's got no idea how people live in my community. Nor does he care. But people will go down that path,' he warned. How can Labour stop that from happening? 'There's got to be ambition,' Byrne said. 'Hunger is a political choice, and it's only when you get into this place that you understand how easy it is for the levers of power to actually make decisions like that,' he added. 'It should encompass all wings of every party: it should be tackled with ferocity'. This article first appeared in our Spotlight on Child Poverty supplement, of 23 May 2025, guest edited by Gordon Brown. Related
