Hillsborough Law delayed over concerns it could fail to bring intelligence services to justice
Public servants could face jail if they fail to tell the truth if the legislation comes into effect - but some security service personnel are currently exempt
Hillsborough Law has been delayed.
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The Government’s landmark Hillsborough Law has been delayed following concerns its "duty of candour" element was being watered down to protect security services such as MI5 and MI6.
The legislation will enforce a duty of candour on public authorities, ensuring they truthfully assist investigations into disasters and scandals.If approved it would mean public servants could face jail if they fail to tell the truth. It comes after some officials including police officers, were found to have covered up and misled the public about events that led up to the Hillsborough Disaster.However, concerns have been raised that it currently does not apply to individuals from security services including MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, sparking a delay.The bill was scheduled to pass a key stage - the Report Stage - in the House of Commons on Wednesday 14 January.Over 20 Labour MPs, including Merseyside MPs Ian Byrne and Anneliese Midgley, backed amendments to the bill to made on Friday to impose specific duties of candour on intelligence officers.It is now not expected to come into effect until Monday as the Government considers further changes after MPs warned they could lose the support of victims, it is understood.Read more: Hillsborough revealed a system that protects power not people, writes Shelagh FogartyRead more: Damning Hillsborough disaster report finds 12 police officers escaped blame following 'fundamental failures'
Prime Minister Keir Starmer met families of the Manchester Arena bombing last week.
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The Hillsborough Law campaign has also been supported by the families of victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.Last week, these families wrote to Sir Keir Starmer urging him to ensure Hillsborough Law leaves no public exempt, including individuals from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ."How many times must MI5 show that it cannot be trusted before something is done?“Every security and intelligence officer should be required to tell the truth, and the leaders of the organisations should also bear full responsibility," they wrote.It comes after a public inquiry found MI5 failed to give an "accurate picture" of the key intelligence it had on the suicide bomber who carried out the Manchester attack.The Prime Minister's official spokesperson said on Tuesday: "This government will not bring forward legislation that would put the national security of the UK or lives at risk."On Friday, we brought forward a series of amendments to address concerns that the bill did not apply to individual employees of the intelligence agencies. But we're determined to get this right."The government will continue to listen to stakeholders on all sides of the debate to make sure the bill strikes the careful balance that is required", the spokesperson added.Number 10 added that there would still be new duties on the intelligence services not to mislead or evade. “This law will change the balance of power. "It will mean that the duty of candour will apply to the intelligence services,” the spokesperson continued.The 1989 Hillsborough Disaster saw the death of 97 Liverpool fans at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest on April 15.In December, an investigation found 12 police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings for "fundamental failures" after trying to shift blame onto fans in the aftermath.The report published by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) also upheld or found cases to answer for misconduct in 92 complaints about police actions.However, the law at the time means no officers will face disciplinary proceedings because they had all retired before investigations began.
