Government 'must go further' for a Hillsborough Law

Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died as a result of the disaster on 15 April 1989

The government must go further to avoid a repeat of the failures made after major disasters like Hillsborough, MPs and peers have warned.

A report into calls for a dedicated Hillsborough Law recommended a statutory duty of candour for all public bodies.

The report, published by Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), found "institutional defensiveness" remained a problem.

Campaigners want new legislation to prevent future traumas and injustices of the kind experienced by families of the 97 Liverpool fans who died following the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy.

'Shameful'

It would include a legal duty of candour, guaranteed legal funding for bereaved families at inquests and inquiries and an independent public advocate.

JCHR chairwoman Joanna Cherry KC said: "Just this week we have also seen how the victims of the infected blood scandal had to go through a similar struggle.

"It is shameful that their pain was compounded by the delays and obfuscation they faced in their search for the truth, and the decades they had to wait for justice.

"We are calling on the government to make sure there are cast-iron measures in place that give families as much clout at investigations as the public bodies whose reputations are at risk."

A range of public bodies faced criticism in the aftermath of the disaster

Last year, in a response to a report from former bishop of Liverpool the Right Reverend James Jones, the government stopped short of introducing legislation.

Instead, it signed up to a so-called Hillsborough Charter, pledging to place the public interest above its own reputation.

It has also announced plans for an independent public advocate to support those affected by major disasters.

In its report, the JCHR said developments indicated the government was "at last listening".

"We welcome these steps but are not persuaded that they go far enough."

Elkan Abrahamson, a director of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign and solicitor at Broudie Jackson Canter, also drew comparisons with the infected blood scandal and suggested the campaign was at a "tipping point".

He said: "We have to reverse this culture where public officials lie at will. How hard is it to tell the truth?

"It has to stop now before more lives are ruined. The next government must put the enactment of a duty of candour law at the top of their to do list.”

The government referred the BBC to comments made by Paymaster General John Glen during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday.

When asked about a Hillsborough Law by Ian Byrne, Labour MP for West Derby in Liverpool, he said: "Considerable effort was required of individuals - which it should never have been - to apprehend the state for what has happened.

"These are wider matters that we will need to come to terms with, but I do not think I can do justice to his remarks today."