Overview
- Campaigners and government sources say a breakthrough in mid‑July has removed the bar on security‑service coverage and the Public Office (Accountability) Bill will return to the House of Commons this week for its final Commons stages.
- The bill would create a legally enforceable duty of candour that compels public officials to tell the truth in inquiries, make it a criminal offence to mislead proceedings, and widen legal aid so bereaved families can get publicly funded representation at inquests.
- The agreed amendment introduces 'compliance directions' that require current and former intelligence employees to give information to the head of their organisation, who is then responsible for passing it to investigators under protections for sensitive material.
- Families and campaign groups, led by Margaret Aspinall and Hillsborough Law Now, welcomed the change as a major step after decades of campaigning and urged MPs and peers to secure swift passage to the statute book.
- The bill closes a long chapter of delays dating back to its September 2025 introduction and its January withdrawal over security‑service concerns, and if approved by the Commons it will move next to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.