Hillsborough Law Passed: Unanimous MP Vote for Accountability Bill 2026

Key Points

• The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, dubbed the “Hillsborough Law,” was unanimously backed by MPs at third reading on 14 July 2026 .
• The law aims to end “cover‑up culture” by imposing a legal duty of candour on public bodies and giving families stronger powers to pursue cases in court .
• 97 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster; authorities and some media wrongly blamed the fans for the crush .
• Families, survivors and campaigners watched from the Commons gallery as the Bill was passed .
• Andy Burnham MP, re-elected to parliament, said the law would “rewire the state and pass power to the hands of ordinary people” .
• Burnham thanked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his commitment to justice and fairness and honoured his pledge to the Hillsborough families .
• The Bill was amended to include intelligence agencies within the duty of candour, with a “secure process” for disclosures affecting national security .
• Margaret Aspinall, whose 18‑year‑old son James died in the disaster, said the law would have a “massive impact” for Grenfell, contaminated blood, Arena bombing and Post Office scandal families .
• Sue Roberts, whose brother Graham Roberts was killed, stressed that the campaign was “for the good of other people” and to prevent future suffering .
• Charlotte Hennessey, whose father Jimmy was killed when she was six, noted that families will now be entitled to legal aid in state‑related deaths, removing heavy fundraising burdens .
• Labour MP Ian Byrne, a Hillsborough survivor, delivered an emotional speech that was applauded by MPs in the Commons .
• Sir Keir Starmer told the House that the families had waited “years and years too long” and that he had kept his promise to bring the Bill forward .
• The legislation will now be sent to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before it can become law .

UK (Liverpool standard) July 14 2026 – MPs have unanimously backed a new law named in memory of the 97 people who died at Hillsborough, marking a major milestone for families, survivors and campaigners after nearly four decades of fighting for justice . The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, commonly called the Hillsborough Law, will impose a legal requirement to tell the truth in investigations or inquiries and give families the power they need to pursue a case in court . The vote took place at third reading on 14 July 2026, and the legislation will now move to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before it can become law .

How Did the Hillsborough Disaster Shape This Development?

On 15 April 1989, a fatal stadium crush at Hillsborough in Sheffield resulted in the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans . Authorities and some in the media wrongly blamed the fans for the disaster, while the police force repeatedly covered up its mistakes . Over the following decades, families and survivors uncovered a long trail of inaccuracies, lost documents and denied accountability, turning Hillsborough into a symbol of institutional failure and the need for truth .

What Is the Core Purpose of the Hillsborough Law?

The Hillsborough Law aims to end the cover‑up culture that followed the disaster by bringing in a legal requirement for public bodies to tell the truth in investigations or inquiries . It also gives families the power they need to pursue a case in court, addressing the fact that in the original Hillsborough case there was truth but no accountability . The legislation is formally called the Public Office (Accountability) Bill and was passed unanimously by MPs at third reading on 14 July .

What Do Families, Survivors and Politicians Say About the Vote?

Speaking for the first time since he was re‑-elected to parliament, Andy Burnham MP for Makerfield told the House of Commons that the law would “rewire the state and pass power to the hands of ordinary people” . The prime minister‑in‑waiting thanked his “friend” Sir Keir Starmer for his work on the draft law, paying tribute to his “commitment to a country based on justice and fairness” .

Burnham said: “It does feel tonight like life is coming full circle, and as we pass this momentous piece of legislation – a piece of legislation that will change the way this country thinks and works about justice – it truly is a rewiring of the state and a passing of power from the authorities to the hands of ordinary people” . He added that the Bill would “rebalance the scales of justice, so that we have justice for ordinary people going forward” .

What Did Margaret Aspinall Say About the Law’s Legacy?

Margaret Aspinall, whose 18‑year‑old son James died in the disaster, paid tribute to him and said it was because of him they had now done “the right thing for this country” . She thanked her son, saying:

“He’d be very proud because he was a people’s person so hopefully he’s up there cheering” .

Aspinall said the law

“will make a massive impact because if you look at Grenfell, contaminated blood, the Arena bombing, the Post Office scandal so many who are still trying to get the truth, to get the justice that they deserve” .

She stressed that with Hillsborough they “got no accountability” and that the new law “will have a massive impact to help them” .

How Did Sue Roberts and Charlotte Hennessey Explain the Campaign’s Purpose?

Sue Roberts, whose brother Graham was 24 when he died, said:

“We’ve had knock backs since 1989, but if something’s important, you can’t just walk away” .

She explained that the campaign “is not for us. This is for the good of other people and what might happen in the future” . Roberts recalled how families had to raise funds to pay for legal representation and were “always outfunded” while lies were told “time and again” .

Charlotte Hennessey, who was just six when her dad Jimmy was killed, said that Hillsborough family members had to “fundraise and use savings, to be able to have legal representation” . She noted that under the new law, families “will be entitled to legal aid if their loved one was killed in a state related death,” which she called “incredible” because it “takes so much pressure off if you’re going through the worst time of your life” .

What Did Ian Byrne Add as a Survivor in Parliament?

Labour MP Ian Byrne, who was at Hillsborough, was visibly emotional as he spoke during a debate on the law . Holding back tears, the Liverpool West Derby MP said:

“To every survivor, I hope today brings some measure of peace. Not because it can erase the past, nothing ever will, but because your suffering has brought us about lasting change for generations to come” .

Byrne said he had asked himself for decades why he survived, and now understood that he had been given “the privilege of standing here and carrying the voices of people who could no longer speak for themselves” . He concluded:

“This law is far more than Hillsborough. It is about the kind of country we choose to be, a country where power tells the truth, where public servants serve the public, where justice is not delayed until campaigners grow old, and where no family is ever left to walk alone” .

In a rare diversion from parliamentary protocol, MPs applauded Mr Byrne’s speech in the Commons .

What Did Sir Keir Starmer Say About the Promise to Families?

Sir Keir Starmer earlier told the House:

“These families, and families across the country affected by this Bill, have waited years and years too long. Years too long” .

He said:

“I made a promise to these families, looked them in the eye, and said I would bring this forward as soon as I could. And I’ve kept that promise, and I’m proud that this Labour Government is bringing this Bill in” .

How Will the Law Be Applied and What Tweaks Were Made?

After stalling, following concerns from campaigners over its application to intelligence agencies, the Bill was amended to bring spies within the scope of the duty of candour . However, a “secure process” for disclosing information that could affect national security was included to balance transparency with security concerns . This amendment addressed earlier worries that intelligence services might be exempt from the truth‑telling duty .

What Happens Next Before the Law Is Enforced?

The legislation, which is formally called the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, was passed unanimously by MPs at third reading on 14 July . It will now be sent to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before it can become law . Once it passes the Lords and receives royal assent, the new legal duties will apply to public bodies and investigations across the country .

Background of the Development

The Hillsborough Law is rooted in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, when 97 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in a fatal stadium crush . For decades, families and survivors fought against a narrative that wrongly blamed the fans and obscured police and institutional failures . Their campaign exposed a pattern of cover‑ups, document loss and denial of accountability, making Hillsborough a reference point for later scandals such as Grenfell, contaminated blood, the Arena bombing and the Post Office scandal . The repeated need for families to fundraise for legal representation against powerful state institutions highlighted the imbalance of power that the new law seeks to correct .

How This Development Can Affect Families, Survivors and the Public

For families and survivors of state‑related deaths, the Hillsborough Law can reduce the financial and emotional burden of fighting for truth. entitlement to legal aid in such cases means families will not have to rely solely on fundraising and private savings to secure legal representation . The duty of candour obliges public bodies to tell the truth in investigations, which can make inquiries more transparent and reduce the risk of further cover‑ups .

For the wider public, the law aims to change how the country thinks about justice by making power more accountable and giving ordinary people stronger tools to challenge official narratives . In cases similar to Grenfell, contaminated blood, the Arena bombing and the Post Office scandal, families may find it easier to pursue cases in court and to demand accurate, timely information from public authorities . Ultimately, the development seeks to ensure that justice is not delayed until campaigners grow old and that no family is left to walk alone when seeking the truth about a death or tragedy involving state bodies .