Overview
- A government amendment would bring the security services within scope only with approval from agency heads, which campaigners say creates a broad opt-out from disclosure.
- Talks between Keir Starmer and families ended without agreement, the report stage was pushed to Monday, and officials indicate they plan to proceed with the security-services provision.
- Liverpool and Manchester mayors Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham called for the amendment to be withdrawn ahead of Monday’s debate, warning it risks undermining the bill’s intent.
- Ian Byrne MP has tabled an alternative to apply the duty of candour to individual intelligence officers and says around 30 Labour MPs have backed his proposal, raising the prospect of a rebellion.
- Families behind the Hillsborough campaign and Manchester Arena bereaved say they cannot support the bill as drafted, arguing the change would weaken a law that creates a statutory duty of candour with criminal penalties for misleading investigations.