Families bereaved by the Hillsborough disaster have delivered a severe blow to the Prime Minister, announcing they can no longer support the landmark Hillsborough Bill after the Government significantly weakened it. The legislation, designed to enforce a legal 'duty of candour' on public officials, has been rendered 'unsupportable' after ministers carved out a major exemption for intelligence services.
A Crisis of Trust and Exhaustion
Campaigners, who have fought for decades for transparency and accountability, say they are left feeling 'exhausted' and misled. The pivotal change, which allows the heads of security services to decide what information to disclose, is seen as granting them a 'carte blanche' to withhold evidence. This amendment emerged despite crisis talks this week between campaigners and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who had pledged to champion the bill.
Charlotte Hennessy, whose father James was unlawfully killed in the 1989 tragedy, was among those who met with Sir Keir on Wednesday. She stated the families are at a crucial juncture. "I did say to him that I feel that if we couldn't come to an agreement in the 48 hours after the meeting until Friday to look at this amendment again. That is the crucial stage we are at now," she said.
However, she issued a stark warning: "I cannot back that amendment and I won't be forced into backing it... we won't back down as a collective group on this and the Prime Minister knows that. He knows he only has until Friday." Sir Keir's failure to address these core concerns in the talks has led to a collapse in trust with the very families he promised to help.
National Security vs. Public Accountability
The controversy centres on fears that spy agencies will be able to block officers from giving evidence in future inquiries, a concern sharply highlighted by the ongoing Manchester Arena bombing investigation. It was recently revealed that MI5 had not been truthful about intelligence it held that might have prevented the 2017 attack, which killed 22 people.
Caroline Curry, whose 19-year-old son Liam died in the Arena attack, said she was 'devastated' by the Government's move. "We can't bring our children back, they're gone," she said. "The only power we have is to stand up for other people and try to protect their children." She echoed the view that the current bill still gives excessive power to MI5 and the security services.
Lawyer Elkan Abrahamson, representing the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, argued the amendments make security service heads 'unchallengeable', allowing them to make whatever decision they want on disclosure. Downing Street defended the position, stating: "There will always be times where protective information cannot be made public... The Government will not bring forward legislation that will put the national security of the UK or lives at risk."
Political Rebellion and Broken Promises
The Prime Minister now faces a growing rebellion from within his own party. Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne warned that changing the bill 'so fundamentally' would 'cause a huge amount of damage' for Sir Keir, with around 30 Labour MPs backing an amendment to fully apply the law to security services.
Fellow Liverpool MP Kim Johnson stated plainly: "This is not the bill we were promised by the Prime Minister," insisting on a full duty of candour for every public body. Anneliese Midgley, MP for Knowsley, described the last 24 hours as 'heartbreaking', urging the government at this 'eleventh hour' to deliver the bill as originally promised.
The draft legislation, which would see public bodies or officials that obstruct investigations face criminal charges, was due for debate on Wednesday but has been postponed to 19 January as the Government considers the outcry. For the families of Hillsborough's 97 victims and those from Manchester, the wait for a meaningful legal change continues, overshadowed by a profound sense of betrayal.
