The long-delayed Public Office (Accountability) Bill, commonly known as the Hillsborough Law, is expected to clear its remaining House of Commons stages on Tuesday, establishing a legally enforceable duty of candour for public officials and new offences for those who deliberately mislead the public.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is using his final week in office to drive the legislation through parliament, fulfilling a personal promise to relatives of the 97 victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. The bill had been withdrawn from the parliamentary agenda in January after MI5, MI6, and GCHQ raised national security concerns. The government has since agreed amendments ensuring intelligence service employees are covered without carve-outs or exemptions, with a process allowing staff to pass information through their organisation's head to investigators.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy expressed confidence the legislation would proceed, and the Hillsborough Law Now campaign welcomed the development. If approved by MPs, the bill will move to the House of Lords.