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ITV News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
More than 50 MPs demand PM keeps promise to deliver Hillsborough Law 'in full and without delay'
More than 50 MPs from eight political parties have signed a parliamentary motion urging the prime minister to deliver on his promise to introduce the so-called Hillsborough Law. The Early Day Motion, tabled by Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne – a Hillsborough survivor and the parliamentary lead for the Hillsborough Law Now campaign – highlights how the prime minister failed to meet his own 15 April 2025 deadline to introduce the law. That date marked the 36th anniversary of the disaster. The motion also raises 'grave concern at reports that the Government intends to bring forward a weakened alternative bill, lacking the core principles and protections of the Hillsborough Law.' Backed by cross-party support, the motion is co-sponsored by Liverpool Labour MPs Kim Johnson and Paula Barker. Other people who signed the parliamentary motion include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts, and Liberal Democrat Tom Morrison. At the beginning of July, Byrne reintroduced the Hillsborough Law to Parliament as a private members' bill. Officially named the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill, the legislation seeks to end the culture of state cover-ups – seen in scandals like Hillsborough and the infected blood inquiry – by creating a legal duty of candour for public officials and authorities, enforceable by criminal sanctions. It also aims to ensure bereaved families receive equal legal representation. First introduced to Parliament in 2017 by Andy Burnham, the bill was originally drafted by lawyers who represented Hillsborough families during the inquests and is endorsed by families and survivors of Hillsborough, as well as campaigners from other state-related scandals. The Early Day Motion 'welcomes [Mr Byrne's] reintroduction of the Hillsborough Law' and 'calls on the Government to honour its word and the memory of the 97 lives lost at Hillsborough by enacting the Hillsborough Law in full, without delay.' Byrne has expressed anger after the Government blocked his private members' bill. He said he was 'bitterly disappointed' and, in response to reports that ministers may introduce a diluted version of the law ahead of Labour conference in Liverpool this September, warned: 'That would not just be a profound betrayal. "Returning to Liverpool without first introducing the real Hillsborough Law – not a hollow substitute – would be a grave moral and political mistake.' He added: 'But there is still time to do the right thing. I urge the Prime Minister: stand with victims of state cover-ups. Honour the 97. "Fulfil your promise. Bring forward the Hillsborough Law before you return to Liverpool in September.' When questioned on the issue at the Prime Minister's Questions by Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson, Keir Starmer said: 'I just want to take the time to get [the Hillsborough Law] right and then put it before the House.'
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Who are the 47 Labour MPs who rebelled in the welfare reforms vote?
Almost 50 Labour MPs have rebelled against the Government over its welfare reforms after warnings the legislation 'remains a danger to disabled people'. Mother of the House Diane Abbott, former minister Dawn Butler, and former shadow minister Andy McDonald were among the 47 Labour MPs who voted against the welfare Bill at third reading. The reforms passed with MPs voting 336 votes to 242, majority 94. The Government had watered down its welfare plans last week by removing the personal independence payment (Pip) part of the Bill in a bid to appease angry backbenchers. Despite this, a number of Labour MPs remained unhappy with the now-called Universal Credit Bill. Speaking in the Commons, Neil Duncan-Jordan, the Poole MP, said the Government's earlier concessions were not enough 'because this Bill still contains a proposal to cut £2 billion from the universal credit health element for over 750,000 future claims'. Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, said 'these changes do not alleviate all of my concerns', adding: 'One in three disabled people are already in poverty. 'This Bill, even after the Government's amendment, would take around £3,000 a year from the disabled people of the future.' Kim Johnson argued the Bill 'remains a danger to disabled people', adding: 'It's not just a bad policy, it's economically reckless, because when you take away essential support you don't reduce costs, you shift those costs on to the NHS, on to local authorities and on to unpaid carers and on to working class communities.' The Liverpool Riverside MP said she 'will not stand by while this Government has stripped away dignity, security and hope for the people I represent'. Mr McDonald described the situation as a 'shambles', adding: 'Now is the moment to stop the cuts, and I implore the Government to rethink this Bill.' The Middlesbrough and Thornaby East MP said the welfare Bill would 'discourage' people from taking an opportunity to try and work. 'A Government that claims to care about fairness cannot proceed like this,' he added. Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, also urged the Government to 'pull this Bill', adding: 'Let's get it right for the people who really matter. Let's get it right for disabled people.' Cat Eccles, who spoke of her own experience of the system after she 'almost lost my life, followed by a total mental breakdown', also criticised the legislation. The Stourbridge MP said: 'I didn't come here to make people worse off, and that's why I still cannot support this Bill.' Stella Creasy tabled an amendment which would have required the Secretary of State to have due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Walthamstow MP said her new clause four would aim to 'ensure that people can live a life of freedom equally alongside us as our fellow human beings' and that 'disabled people in our communities can meet their living expenses'. Here is a full list of Labour MPs who voted against the Bill at third reading: Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington), Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting), Paula Barker (Liverpool Wavertree), Lee Barron (Corby and East Northamptonshire), Lorraine Beavers (Blackpool North and Fleetwood), Olivia Blake (Sheffield Hallam), Chris Bloore (Redditch), Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool), Richard Burgon (Leeds East), Maureen Burke (Glasgow North East), Dawn Butler (Brent East), Ian Byrne (Liverpool West Derby), Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran), Stella Creasy (Walthamstow), Marsha De Cordova (Battersea), Peter Dowd (Bootle), Neil Duncan-Jordan (Poole), Cat Eccles (Stourbridge), Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham), Barry Gardiner (Brent West), Tracy Gilbert (Edinburgh North and Leith), Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend), Chris Hinchliff (North East Hertfordshire), Alison Hume (Scarborough and Whitby), Imran Hussain (Bradford East), Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside), Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington), Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth), Emma Lewell (South Shields), Clive Lewis (Norwich South), Rebecca Long Bailey (Salford), Rachael Maskell (York Central), Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough and Thornaby East), Navendu Mishra (Stockport), Abtisam Mohamed (Sheffield Central), Grahame Morris (Easington), Margaret Mullane (Dagenham and Rainham), Simon Opher (Stroud), Kate Osborne (Jarrow and Gateshead East), Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill), Marie Rimmer (St Helens South and Whiston), Euan Stainbank (Falkirk), Graham Stringer (Blackley and Middleton South), Jon Trickett (Normanton and Hemsworth), Derek Twigg (Widnes and Halewood), Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East), Mohammad Yasin (Bedford).
Western Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Who are the 47 Labour MPs who rebelled in the welfare reforms vote?
Mother of the House Diane Abbott, former minister Dawn Butler, and former shadow minister Andy McDonald were among the 47 Labour MPs who voted against the welfare Bill at third reading. The reforms passed with MPs voting 336 votes to 242, majority 94. It's not just a bad policy, it's economically reckless Labour MP Kim Johnson The Government had watered down its welfare plans last week by removing the personal independence payment (Pip) part of the Bill in a bid to appease angry backbenchers. Despite this, a number of Labour MPs remained unhappy with the now-called Universal Credit Bill. Speaking in the Commons, Neil Duncan-Jordan, the Poole MP, said the Government's earlier concessions were not enough 'because this Bill still contains a proposal to cut £2 billion from the universal credit health element for over 750,000 future claims'. Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, said 'these changes do not alleviate all of my concerns', adding: 'One in three disabled people are already in poverty. 'This Bill, even after the Government's amendment, would take around £3,000 a year from the disabled people of the future.' Kim Johnson argued the Bill 'remains a danger to disabled people', adding: 'It's not just a bad policy, it's economically reckless, because when you take away essential support you don't reduce costs, you shift those costs on to the NHS, on to local authorities and on to unpaid carers and on to working class communities.' The Liverpool Riverside MP said she 'will not stand by while this Government has stripped away dignity, security and hope for the people I represent'. Labour MP Nadia Whittome (David Woolfall/PA) Mr McDonald described the situation as a 'shambles', adding: 'Now is the moment to stop the cuts, and I implore the Government to rethink this Bill.' The Middlesbrough and Thornaby East MP said the welfare Bill would 'discourage' people from taking an opportunity to try and work. 'A Government that claims to care about fairness cannot proceed like this,' he added. Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, also urged the Government to 'pull this Bill', adding: 'Let's get it right for the people who really matter. Let's get it right for disabled people.' Cat Eccles, who spoke of her own experience of the system after she 'almost lost my life, followed by a total mental breakdown', also criticised the legislation. The Stourbridge MP said: 'I didn't come here to make people worse off, and that's why I still cannot support this Bill.' Stella Creasy tabled an amendment which would have required the Secretary of State to have due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Walthamstow MP said her new clause four would aim to 'ensure that people can live a life of freedom equally alongside us as our fellow human beings' and that 'disabled people in our communities can meet their living expenses'. Here is a full list of Labour MPs who voted against the Bill at third reading: Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington), Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting), Paula Barker (Liverpool Wavertree), Lee Barron (Corby and East Northamptonshire), Lorraine Beavers (Blackpool North and Fleetwood), Olivia Blake (Sheffield Hallam), Chris Bloore (Redditch), Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool), Richard Burgon (Leeds East), Maureen Burke (Glasgow North East), Dawn Butler (Brent East), Ian Byrne (Liverpool West Derby), Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran), Stella Creasy (Walthamstow), Marsha De Cordova (Battersea), Peter Dowd (Bootle), Neil Duncan-Jordan (Poole), Cat Eccles (Stourbridge), Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham), Barry Gardiner (Brent West), Tracy Gilbert (Edinburgh North and Leith), Mary Glindon (Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend), Chris Hinchliff (North East Hertfordshire), Alison Hume (Scarborough and Whitby), Imran Hussain (Bradford East), Kim Johnson (Liverpool Riverside), Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington), Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth), Emma Lewell (South Shields), Clive Lewis (Norwich South), Rebecca Long Bailey (Salford), Rachael Maskell (York Central), Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough and Thornaby East), Navendu Mishra (Stockport), Abtisam Mohamed (Sheffield Central), Grahame Morris (Easington), Margaret Mullane (Dagenham and Rainham), Simon Opher (Stroud), Kate Osborne (Jarrow and Gateshead East), Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill), Marie Rimmer (St Helens South and Whiston), Euan Stainbank (Falkirk), Graham Stringer (Blackley and Middleton South), Jon Trickett (Normanton and Hemsworth), Derek Twigg (Widnes and Halewood), Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East), Mohammad Yasin (Bedford).
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
PM promises Hillsborough Law will include legal duty of candour
The new Hillsborough Law will include a legal duty of candour, the prime minister has said, after concerns were raised that the government wanted to "water down" its Keir Starmer told the House of Commons he was "fully committed" to bringing in legislation which would force public officials to tell the truth at major inquiries, with "criminal sanctions for those that refuse to comply".Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne has made a fresh parliamentary bid to drive through the original Hillsborough Law amid suggestions the duty of candour element had been removed from a draft of the Sir Keir insisted: "We will bring this forward - I just want to take the time to get it right." 'Legal responsibility' A terrace crush during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium fatally injured 97 Liverpool 2016, after a 27-year campaign by victims' families, an inquest jury ruled fans were not to blame for the disaster and that those who died had been unlawfully original Hillsborough Law, first presented in 2017, included a legal responsibility for public servants to tell the truth after state-related funding would also be provided for those affected by Prime Minister's Questions, another of Liverpool's Labour MPs, Kim Johnson, accused ministers of planning to table a "watered down" bill which "doesn't deserve to be named Hillsborough Law". The Liverpool Riverside MP said Sir Keir had visited her constituency in 2022 and told families the legislation would be one of his first acts in asked him to "honour his promise and back the law in full".Responding, the prime minister said: "This is a really serious issue, it is important that we get it right."I am fully committed to introducing a Hillsborough Law, including a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those that refuse to comply."Sir Keir said he had been "personally engaging" on the subject and stressed that he had been involved for more than 10 years due to his previous role as director of public prosecutions."We will bring this forward," he added. "I just want to take the time to get it right and then put it before the house." 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.
The Herald Scotland
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Labour MP warns proscribing Palestine Action would be ‘kneejerk reaction'
Counter-terror police are investigating the break-in last Friday, when activists damaged two RAF Voyager aircraft using paint. Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the incident, and the organisation posted footage from the Oxfordshire base on its X account, claiming that the planes help to 'collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza'. Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson told the Commons that she was 'concerned by the Government's kneejerk reaction to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation'. She told MPs: 'This country has a long history of protests, as I mentioned in this chamber last week, some on British military sites, and none have been branded as terrorists.' Ms Johnson added that authorities could pursue those responsible for 'criminal damage, but not as a terrorist', and asked: 'Can the minister set out what steps his department will take to ensure peaceful protest activity is not wrongly categorised as a national security threat?' Mr Pollard replied: 'The proscription of Palestine Action has been something that has been considered over a long period of time by my colleagues in the Home Office. 'It is a decision that they have taken after considering the facts, those in the public domain and those perhaps held privately, and we are certain that this is the right course of action to keep our country safe in these difficult times.' Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader, said: 'Direct action at military bases is nothing new. We remember with respect the women who marched from Wales to Greenham Common, and the thousands of women who joined them. 'They didn't just march, they pulled down fences. They criminally damaged infrastructure. Protesters tugging at the fence at RAF Greenham Common in 1983 (PA Archive) 'So, does the minister recognise the risk implicit in proscribing protest groups calling out war as terrorist organisations?' Ms Saville Roberts was referring to a demonstration between 1981 and 2000, when anti-nuclear weapons protesters set up the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp. Mr Pollard replied: 'They're not a protest group. They are people that have undertaken severe criminal damage to military assets. They're people who are increasingly using violence as part of their modus operandi. 'The decision that the Home Secretary has taken has not been taken lightly and reflects the seriousness of the intent of that organisation. 'I welcome free speech, I welcome debate and challenge, but vandalising RAF jets is not free speech – that is criminal damage, that is interventions on a military base, that is – as I say in my statement – not only epically stupid but also a threat to our national security and the Home Secretary was right to proscribe them.' In his statement, Mr Pollard had earlier told MPs that personnel at Brize Norton 'work tirelessly to support our armed forces deployed across the world to deliver military assistance to Ukraine, and they have been formally recognised for their contribution in flying humanitarian aid into Gaza, so this action does nothing to further the path to peace'. Sir Julian Lewis, the Conservative MP for New Forest East, warned that 'it would do the country and the Government no favours if they were to lose in court a challenge to the process of proscription, because whereas the secret sabotage of planes would certainly have been an act of terrorism leading to proscription, the fact is, this was a performative act which they announced they had done'. MPs will have a 'full debate' in Parliament as part of the proscription process, Mr Pollard pledged in response, as he said the bid to proscribe Palestine Action was put together after 'considerable thought'. MPs also heard that the 'fence is not formidable' at Brize Norton, after Liberal Democrat MP for Witney Charlie Maynard told the Commons that 'security at the base has been really underinvested for a long time'. Mr Maynard said he had walked around the base's perimeter in his constituency 'quite a few times'. Mr Pollard said the Government's response had already 'helped identify a number of immediate steps' to bolster security at the site. The minister added: 'He is right that much of our armed forces estate and our armed forces have been hollowed out and underfunded for far too long. 'It's precisely for that reason that I welcome the increase in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027. 'Our armed forces are brilliant but it's time they had first-class facilities.'
