A long‑awaited Hillsborough Law will not return to Parliament until after the summer recess, the BBC has been told, despite the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy telling the Commons on Wednesday he was “confident” the bill would be back “in the coming days”. The delay means the legislation is likely to be left to the next prime minister, who will almost certainly be Andy Burnham. Burnham, a long‑standing supporter of the Hillsborough campaigners, has criticised government plans for the intelligence services as creating “too broad an opt‑out” that risked “undermining the spirit of the legislation”. A spokesperson for Burnham said: “Andy has campaigned alongside the Hillsborough families in their fight for justice for many years and con…”
The bill, which would create a legal duty for public officials to tell the truth to inquiries and investigations, was paused after families opposed an opt‑out for intelligence agencies. A proposed government amendment would have given the heads of intelligence agencies the right to decide whether to co‑operate with public inquiries, allowing them to opt out if they believed giving evidence would cause a national security risk. Some campaigners pointed to the actions of intelligence agencies after the Manchester Arena bombing, when MI5 was accused of misleading the inquiry. In the Commons, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper raised a BBC story about an MI5 agent defended by the service despite it knowing he was a misogynist obsessed with violence. Cooper asked Lammy for an assurance the bill would be brought back next week – allowing MPs to pass it before the summer break. But sources suggested there had been “significant progress” while confirming there were no plans for the bill to return before Parliament rose on 16 July.
“Hillsborough Law delayed beyond summer; Burnham readies cost of living package for first fortnight as PM.”
Meanwhile, Burnham is preparing to unveil a package of cost of living measures within his first fortnight as prime minister. Allies say Burnham wants his opening days defined by a handful of high‑impact, positive announcements, with interventions on energy bills and public transport costs among the ideas being examined. His team has not ruled out an emergency Budget, acknowledging that many of the measures they want to introduce will come with significant costs. Burnham is expected to enter No 10 later this month and reportedly intends to undertake a tour of the UK in August after taking office. It is understood Burnham intends to move quickly to pass the Hillsborough bill if he becomes prime minister, though no date has been set. The disaster at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield in April 1989 claimed 97 lives during an FA Cup semi‑final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Police spread false narratives blaming Liverpool fans and withheld evidence of their own failings. Fresh inquests in 2016 found the fans had been unlawfully killed, and it was the police who had caused or contributed to their deaths.
