Today the government have introduced the Hillsborough Law Bill which, if passed and implemented in full, will lead to massive cultural change and prevent the cover-ups and institutional defensiveness that have pervaded across so many disasters and scandals.

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill requires public bodies to cooperate with investigations and should impose criminal penalties for non-compliance. It also provides legal funding for individuals affected by state-related disasters.

The concept of the Hillsborough Law was first discussed in 2016 and since then Broudie Jackson Canter have proudly worked with the Hillsborough Law Now campaign and other campaign groups to see it implemented. 

Unwavering determination, resilience, and patience from the families and supporters who have tirelessly campaigned for this bill has finally bore fruit.

Elkan Abrahamson, Legal Director at Broudie Jackson Canter and a director of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, is one of the architects of the bill. He said: 

“This has been the longest of journeys for those who have fought for justice. It began with the Hillsborough families, whose resolve has never wavered, and grew into a movement to level the playing field between the state and its people. 

“We will now scrutinise the bill as it makes its passage through Parliament, so we’re not quite there yet. But today is still a momentous step, owed entirely to the persistence of campaigners and their refusal to give up. The Hillsborough Law will transform the face of British justice.”

Elkan and the team at Broudie Jackson Canter, as well as those at Hillsborough Law Now, the families and campaigners, will continue to work to ensure this transformative bill is passed.

Our thoughts, as always, are with the families of those lost in the Hillsborough disaster, along with those that have lost loved ones in other cover-ups, as the bill begins its journey towards becoming law.