Overview
- The government has postponed the Commons report stage to 19 January after objections from bereaved families and Labour MPs to proposed limits on how the bill covers the security services.
- A draft amendment reported by the Liverpool Echo would allow disclosure of intelligence only with consent from the head of the relevant service, who could refuse on national security grounds.
- Sky News reports the bill frames the candour duty corporately for MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, leaving individual officers covered only with specific authorisation from service leaders.
- Hillsborough relatives, including Charlotte Hennessy and Margaret Aspinall, and families of Manchester Arena victims will meet Keir Starmer on Wednesday to press for full application of the duty.
- Ministers say they support a duty of candour and equal legal aid but argue protections are needed for sensitive operations, with negotiations continuing before Monday’s debate.