Deliver Hillsborough law in full, MPs tell PM

The Prime Minister has been urged by MPs to pass the Hillsborough Law in full, after work to progress the bill was delayed further.

On Monday, the House of Commons voted to postpone work on passing the Public Office (Accountability) Bill until the next session of parliament.

Sir Keir Starmer had promised to pass the legislation by 15 April 2025, to mark the 36th anniversary of the disaster, but it ended up being delayed over concerns about changes to the bill.

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said the government remains "resolutely committed to delivering this vital piece of legislation" and pledged to bring it back to the chamber "as soon as possible".

It was delayed over an amendment which was proposed allowing security service chiefs to opt out.

Labour's Ian Byrne, who was at Hillsborough when the 1989 stadium disaster unfolded, said the delays cause "profound distress".

The MP for Liverpool West Derby said: "I welcome the government tabling this carry-over motion for the Hillsborough law, but in truth, it should never have come to this."

Byrne added: "This delay rests solely with the government that, at times, has refused to push past the vested interests that were always going to oppose transparency and accountability."

He went on to say that every delay "causes real and profound distress to bereaved families, survivors and campaigners".

The conservative shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan accused the government of having "utterly mishandled this legislation from start to finish".

"Trust has been damaged on all sides, even though this is a bill about trust."

Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Jess Brown-Fuller said: "These families have waited far too long for this legislation.

"They can't afford to be approaching another Christmas and not seeing this finally enacted."

Responding to the debate, Ms Davies-Jones said: "This is a bill for the families, and we continue to work with them daily, at this point, to ensure that we get this right.

"But the government's first priority is that of national security, and we will not compromise on that."

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