Following the final Commons stages of the Hillsborough Law, campaigners attended a gathering at No.10 Downing Street to mark the progress of legislation designed to ensure no family ever again must endure the decades-long fight for truth and justice experienced by the Hillsborough families.
Representing Broudie Jackson Canter at No.10 Downing Street were Elkan Abrahamson and Clare Fletcher, whom have played an important role in supporting the campaign and engaging with government as the legislation has progressed.
For those who have dedicated years to securing meaningful reform, the day represented far more than another parliamentary milestone. It is the result of a campaign driven by bereaved families, survivors and campaigners determined to ensure the lessons of Hillsborough are never forgotten and never repeated.
How did the campaign for Hillsborough Law begin?
The campaign for Hillsborough Law began in the aftermath of the second Hillsborough Inquests in April 2016. Those inquests returned unlawful killing verdicts for the 97 people who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster, confirming what families had spent decades fighting to establish: that the victims were unlawfully killed and that Liverpool supporters were not responsible.
While the verdicts delivered long-awaited answers, they also prompted a much wider question. How could future families be protected from having to spend years, or even decades, battling public authorities to uncover the truth? Campaigners believed the answer lay not in another inquiry, but in changing the law itself.
In the weeks and months that followed, Hillsborough families, survivors and legal representatives, Elkan Abrahamson and Pete Weatherby KC, began discussing legislation aimed at addressing the systemic failures exposed by the disaster and its aftermath. What started as a response to Hillsborough quickly grew into a national campaign for greater honesty, transparency and accountability from public authorities.
The first attempt to bring these principles into Parliament came in 2016, when proposals reflecting what would later become known as Hillsborough Law were introduced as an amendment. Although the amendment did not pass, it helped place the concepts of a statutory Duty of Candour and stronger accountability for public authorities firmly on the political agenda.
Building on this momentum, the first Hillsborough Law Bill was introduced in 2017 by Andy Burnham before he became Mayor of Greater Manchester. As a Private Member's Bill, it proposed a statutory Duty of Candour, equal access to legal representation for bereaved families and increased accountability for public bodies. However, the Bill did not progress further after Parliament was dissolved ahead of the 2017 General Election.
The campaign did not stop there. Hillsborough families continued their work alongside survivors, legal professionals, academics and other families affected by public disasters, scandals and miscarriages of justice, helping to build wider support for reform and accountability.
What changes would Hillsborough Law introduce?
At its heart, Hillsborough Law seeks to establish a legal duty of candour requiring public authorities and public officials to act with openness, transparency and honesty, particularly during inquiries, inquests and investigations. Campaigners believe this would help prevent future cover-ups and ensure that the truth comes to light more quickly when things go wrong.
The legislation would also introduce non-means-tested legal funding for bereaved families at inquests where a public authority is legally represented. While campaigners continue to argue for full parity of arms, the proposal would remove a significant barrier faced by families seeking legal representation.
Although rooted in the experiences of Hillsborough families, the campaign has grown to include support from people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire, the Manchester Arena attack, the Post Office Horizon scandal, the contaminated blood scandal, Windrush and many other cases where concerns have been raised about institutional defensiveness and a lack of disclosure.
Campaigners have repeatedly emphasised that Hillsborough Law is not solely about one tragedy. It is about changing the culture of public authorities and ensuring honesty and accountability become the norm rather than the exception.
Why is this week such an important milestone for Hillsborough Law?
This week represents one of the most significant moments in the campaign's history.
After months of discussions with Government, campaigners secured agreement that there will be no carve-outs or exemptions that could undermine the legislation's central duty of candour. Supporters of the Bill argued that accountability must apply consistently across public authorities, and regard this agreement as a crucial achievement.
The Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and will next move to the House of Lords for further consideration.
Campaigners describe this as a major step towards delivering reforms that bereaved families and survivors have fought for over many years.
Nearly ten years after the unlawful killing verdicts and more than three decades after the Hillsborough disaster itself, legislation born from the experiences of families and survivors is now closer than ever to becoming law.
What does Elkan Abrahamson believe this moment means for families and campaigners?
Reflecting on the significance of the moment, Elkan Abrahamson, solicitor at Broudie Jackson Canter and director of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, said:
"It is finally beginning to feel as though it was all worth it. This week should mark the culmination of a campaign that, for some families, has lasted more than 37 years.
"I attended Sir Keir Starmer's leadership campaign launch in 2020, and I am pleased to see him honour the commitment he made then. It takes real political courage to introduce legislation that seeks to hold those in public office to a higher standard of honesty and accountability.
"This law has the potential to transform the culture of public service for the better. It is about ensuring that those exercising public power are expected to tell the truth and are held accountable when they do not.
"I pay tribute to the families and campaigners whose extraordinary determination has brought us to this point. Your perseverance has delivered the prospect of lasting change.
"I also want to thank Andy Burnham MP and Ian Byrne MP for their unwavering support throughout, my fellow directors of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign for standing together with a shared purpose, and especially Pete Weatherby KC, whose relentless determination to ensure this legislation remained true to its original intent never wavered.
"Finally, I want to recognise my colleagues at Broudie Jackson Canter, Nicola Brook and Clare Fletcher, who have played an important role in supporting the campaign and engaging with government.
"This has been a truly remarkable collective effort. While there is still work to do, I hope this week marks the beginning of a new chapter – one in which honesty, accountability and transparency become the standards the public should always expect from those who serve them. If that is achieved, our country will be stronger for it."
What happens next for Hillsborough Law?
While campaigners have welcomed Tuesday's progress, they have also been clear that the work is not yet finished.
The Bill's passage through Parliament represents a major milestone, but attention will now turn to the remaining parliamentary stages and ultimately ensuring that the legislation delivers the meaningful change that families have sought for so long.
For many involved in the campaign, Hillsborough Law represents something much bigger than a single piece of legislation. It is the product of decades of determination by families and survivors who refused to accept injustice and who remained committed to ensuring others would not face the same struggle in the future.
What began as a campaign born from one community's experience has evolved into one of the most significant public accountability reforms considered in a generation. If enacted, supporters believe it could reshape the relationship between public authorities and the people they serve by placing honesty, accountability and transparency at the heart of public life.
For the families who have fought for truth for more than three decades, and for the many others who have joined the campaign along the way, this week offers hope that future generations may never have to endure the same battle.