Date published: 16th September 2025

Today marks a historic moment in the fight for justice. The government has introduced the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, widely known as Hillsborough Law, to Parliament.

If passed and implemented in full, it could bring about a profound cultural shift, ending the cover-ups and institutional defensiveness that have plagued so many public tragedies.

What the Bill Does

Hillsborough Law introduces three key reforms:

  • A new legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials, requiring them to act with honesty and integrity during investigations and inquiries.
  • Criminal sanctions for those who mislead the public or obstruct investigations.
  • The largest expansion of legal aid in a decade, ensuring bereaved families and those who are challenging the state and public bodies have non-means-tested legal representation at inquests.

These measures aim to level the playing field between ordinary people and state institutions, ensuring truth and accountability in the aftermath of disasters.

The Journey So Far

The Hillsborough Law Now campaign began in 2016, following the inquest verdicts that ruled the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed. That same year, Elkan Abrahamson and KC Pete Weatherby co-authored a draft Bill to introduce a statutory duty of candour for public authorities.

Andy Burnham brought the Bill to Parliament as a Private Member’s Bill, but it fell when the general election was called. Despite growing public support, successive governments chose not to reintroduce it.

In the years since, the campaign has watched other major public tragedies unfold, Grenfell, the Manchester Arena bombing, the Post Office and Infected Blood scandals, without the protections the Bill would have offered. In 2021, Elkan Abrahamson the legal team representing the Hillsborough families issued an open letter to the UK Government, urging it to adopt the Bill and present it to Parliament as a matter of urgency kickstarting the launch of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign in 2022.

The campaign has continued to gain political traction:

Throughout, the campaign has challenged the Government’s narrow interpretation of the duty of candour in the Criminal Justice Bill, calling for a full and faithful version of Hillsborough Law, one that ensures no family faces the same fight for justice again.

Elkan Abrahamson on Today’s Announcement

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.” 

What Happens Next

The Bill is at the introduction stage and will now undergo detailed scrutiny in Parliament. Broudie Jackson Canter, alongside Hillsborough Law Now and the families, will continue to work to ensure the legislation is passed in full and delivers the change campaigners have fought for.

Our thoughts remain with the families of those lost in the Hillsborough disaster and with all those who have suffered from institutional failings, as this vital Bill begins its journey through Parliament.