'Hillsborough Law could be Starmer's legacy'

Campaigners for the Hillsborough Law have called for the bill to be passed in full before the end of the summer, despite the imminent change in prime minister.

Hillsborough survivor Ian Byrne, Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, called on Sir Keir Starmer to get the bill passed before leaving office, as promised in Labour's 2024 manifesto.

The Public Authority (Accountability} Bill was due to be passed in April this year – on the 36th anniversary of the disaster – but was paused amid a dispute over a potential opt-out clause for the security services.

"The prime minister's got a real opportunity to do this as part of his legacy," Byrne told the BBC.

The legislation is intended to ensure greater openness and accountability from public bodies following major incidents.

Byrne had tabled an amendment to the bill to avoid "carve-outs", and called on Sir Keir to ensure the law was passed in its intended form.

"That's in his gift to give," Byrne said.

"I'm really impressing on him to do that because that could be a key part of his legacy. We know it's done then, so all the worry will be off our shoulders."

Charlotte Hennessy, whose father James was among the 97 people unlawfully killed in the disaster, told the BBC she welcomed Andy Burnham's return to Westminster as MP for Makerfield.

However, she added she did not believe there was any need to wait for him to secure his position as Sir Keir's successor before the legislation was implemented.

"It was written in 2017, it's been amended along the way. There's no reason [Sir Keir] can't endorse that original bill," she said.

Burnham has a long history of supporting the Hillsborough campaign, and as culture secretary in 2010 he pressured the then Labour government to commission the landmark Hillsborough Independent Panel report.

Hennessy said: "Andy Burnham launched our campaign group, and Andy also had a part to play in the writing of the bill, so I have got no doubt whatsoever that it's definitely going to be a priority, but my concern is there will still be these barriers from the intelligence agencies."

In a statement, the Hillsborough Law Now campaign said: "We recognise that it was Sir Keir Starmer who campaigned for the Hillsborough Law to become a manifesto pledge in 2023, and for that, and for his continued support, we are grateful.

"He did not forget us. While we are disappointed by the continued barriers and delays, we thank him for helping us reach this point when many other prime ministers did not even try."

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