Overview
- MPs will hold the second reading on November 3, following the bill’s formal introduction in September.
- Justice Secretary David Lammy pledged to pass the legislation in its current, strong form and rejected any weakening of its core principles.
- The package includes non‑means‑tested legal aid for bereaved families at inquests, with costs met by the represented public body.
- New measures set guidance for state conduct at inquests and create a specific offence for misleading the public, with criminal sanctions for serious breaches.
- Campaigners welcomed progress after earlier redrafting delays and continue to push for a clear legal duty of candour, citing cases from Hillsborough to Grenfell and infected blood.