UK's Starmer pushes Hillsborough accountability law this week
Keir Starmer will use his final week as UK prime minister to pass a landmark public accountability law, overcoming fierce resistance from the country's intelligence agencies.
The UK parliament will this week vote on the final Commons stages of the public office (accountability) bill, widely known as the Hillsborough law. Parliamentary business was updated on Tuesday to schedule the legislation, giving Prime Minister Keir Starmer a final chance to deliver a flagship manifesto pledge before leaving office.
The bill creates a legal duty of candour for public authorities and introduces new offences for officials who deliberately mislead the public or block accountability. For businesses and regulators operating in the UK, it establishes a stricter legal framework for truth-telling after major incidents, reducing the risk of prolonged, opaque state investigations that can delay economic and infrastructural recovery.
The legislation takes its name from the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, where a crush at an FA Cup semi-final killed 97 Liverpool supporters. A landmark 2016 inquest found those who died were unlawfully killed and that the behaviour of fans played no part in the tragedy, contradicting false claims made by police officers.
Families spent decades fighting South Yorkshire police and other public bodies to uncover that truth. The new law aims to prevent similar institutional cover-ups following future public tragedies.
Progress of the legislation was stalled for months due to a clash between ministers and Britain's spy agencies. MI5, MI6 and GCHQ raised concerns that the law could compromise national security operations and expose covert officers.
The government initially proposed an amendment allowing intelligence chiefs to block information disclosure during relevant investigations. This triggered a backlash from Labour MPs and Hillsborough families, who argued it would create a loophole allowing parts of the state to evade scrutiny. The government subsequently dropped the amendment.
Uncertainty persisted until last week. David Lammy, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, told the Commons he was “confident” the draft legislation would return “in the coming days”. He was responding to Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper, who had urged the government to pass the law before the summer recess. Other government figures had previously suggested a delay until after the recess, when Starmer would no longer be prime minister.
Clearing the Commons this week represents a significant step toward embedding accountability across the British state. If approved, the bill will move to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
