Hillsborough Law will include duty of candour

A long-awaited "Hillsborough Law" bill will force public officials to tell the truth during investigations into major disasters.

The news has been welcomed by campaigners, who had feared the legislation was going to be watered down.

The landmark Public Office (Accountability) Bill will force public bodies to cooperate with investigations into major disasters or potentially face criminal sanctions, as well as provide legal funding to those affected by state-related disasters.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously pledged to bring in the law by the 36th anniversary of the tragedy, but Downing Street then said more time was needed to redraft it.

The bill will be introduced to Parliament on Tuesday to begin its journey towards becoming law.

The government has confirmed a new professional and legal "duty of candour" will be part of the bill, meaning public officials would have to act with honesty and integrity at all times and would face criminal sanctions if they breached it.

Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died at Hillsborough, said she was hopeful the new law "will mean no-one will ever have to suffer like we did".

The government said the new legislation would "end the culture of cover-ups" and learn lessons from wider disasters including the Grenfell Tower fire and the Post Office Horizon and infected blood scandals.

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Source: BBC News, 15 September 2025

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