Overview

• Labour confirms it will not meet its promise to introduce the Hillsborough Law by the 36th anniversary of the disaster on April 15, 2025.
• Campaigners and bereaved families insist the legislation must impose a fully enforceable legal duty of candour on public authorities, including criminal sanctions for misleading investigations.
• The government’s current draft has been criticized for relying on a charter-based approach, which lacks robust legal enforcement and funding for families’ legal representation.
• Keir Starmer had repeatedly pledged to deliver the law as a cornerstone of justice for victims of Hillsborough and other public tragedies, but the delay has fueled frustration and mistrust.
• Advocacy groups, including Inquest, Grenfell United, and Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, emphasize that anything less than full implementation would perpetuate cycles of cover-ups and injustice.