The government has signed a Hillsborough Charter, promising no family will suffer the same injustices as relatives of the 1989 disaster's victims
However, it stops short of implementing a "Hillsborough Law", which would give the pledges a legal basis
Families of the victims have said the pledges do not go far enough
It comes after a 2017 report called for key reforms following inquests which concluded the football fans were unlawfully killed
Former Bishop of Liverpool the Right Reverend James Jones called for the establishment of a charter for bereaved families following such disasters
He also called for publicly-funded legal representation for families at inquests where public bodies are represented
Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died following the stadium crush during an FA Cup semi-final match in Hillsborough stadium
It was eventually found errors by the police and ambulance service caused or contributed to the deaths
The government's charter promises to implement a "duty of candour" for policing in England and Wales, which aims to promote a culture of honesty and transparency during investigations and inquiries
That's all from our live coverage of the government's announcement of several new Hillsborough reforms.
You can read a round-up of the story here
The page was edited by Tom Mullen and Chris Long, with reporting from Samantha Jagger, Paul Burnell, Lauren Hirst and Laura O'Neill.
Thanks for joining us.
Image source, BBC NewsThe government has released a long-awaited response to calls for reforms following the experiences of the Hillsborough families - but some have said the pledges fall short.
If you're just joining us, here's a recap of today's key developments:
You can read a wrap-up of the full story here
A solicitor and Hillsborough campaigner has said the government's timing of its Hillsborough response on the day Boris Johnson appeared at the Covid inquiry would "increase cynicism".
Elkan Abrahamson, director of Hillsborough Law Now, said: "To deliver that response on a day when all eyes are on a former prime minister giving evidence only seeks to increase the cynicism felt amongst Hillsborough families and the thousands of others who would benefit from a change in the law."
Mr Abrahamson, who has represented some of the families, also accused the government of not listening and said waiting six years for the government to respond to a report about a disaster that took place 34 years ago "speaks volumes".
"Only the full reintroduction of the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill, which was introduced by Andy Burnham but fell when the 2017 general election was called, will do," he said.
"Namely making a duty of candour enforceable and ensuring a level playing field between public authorities and those affected by disasters and wrongdoing at inquests and inquiries."
Labour former minister Derek Twigg, who was at the Hillsborough disaster, told the Commons: “In terms of the duty of candour, it needs to have a legal basis".
The Halton MP said he understood there are "some issues", but said “they could be got round”.
Alison McGovern, the Labour MP for Wirral South said it was "really not good enough that it has taken so long to get to this point, and in this house I want to put on record my deep disappointment that we have waited this long for today".
"What is being proposed is also not good enough," she said.
"I think that lawyers respond to the law. And that is at the heart of why we are so disappointed today not to have a Hillsborough law. I don’t want a debate in January, I want a law."
Labour MP Kim Johnson, who represents Liverpool, Riverside, said the response "does not go far enough", adding: "We do need a duty of candour."
Judith Moritz
BBC News
The time it’s taken for the government to respond to the bishop’s report has become as much a feature of the exercise as the content of the response.
Theresa May was still Home Secretary when she commissioned it back in 2016, and six years - and seven home secretaries - have gone by since it was published.
The government knew it couldn’t avoid confronting this, and it’s striking that it’s accepted that the delay has compounded the Hillsborough families’ agony.
Given that the very purpose of the bishop’s report was to prevent further suffering, it might be seen as something of an own goal.
Campaigners for a formal Hillsborough Law will doubtless say that the government response falls short of the legislation they’ve envisaged.
They’ve pushed for a full "duty of candour" on all public servants - meaning that they’d be forced to be frank about their failings, when appearing at inquests and inquiries.
The government says that the police will be held to account on this front, via different legislation. But some Hillsborough families have told me they want to see that duty extended to everyone who works in the public sector.
Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall, whose son died in the disaster, has said she has met Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer privately and he has promised to bring in a Hillsborough law if elected.
She said the need for a law was "not about the Hillsborough families" but about anyone who went through anything similar in the future.
"We don’t want to be here campaigning still after 34 years," she said.
"I want to be able to get on with my life and I’m sure the rest of the families do.
"We are here because we are concerned for the good of other people."
Former bishop of Liverpool the Rt Rev James Jones has broadly welcomed the government's response to his 2017 report but acknowledged it will not go far enough for the families.
Image source, PA MediaThe bishop said: "Although the government's statement falls short of the hopes of the Hillsborough families it is a serious and substantial response and rises above that given to other panels and inquiries.
"It has responded to all 25 recommendations of the report and has today introduced significant changes."
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has told the Commons the government response was specifically addressing the "25 points of learning" highlighted in Bishop James Jones's 2017 report and there had been "a development in thinking thereafter".
Image source, UK Parliament/PA MediaAsked if the families of the bereaved and those affected by the issue would be satisfied with his comments, he said his statement was "intended to respond to the 25 points of learning in Bishop James Jones’ report".
“Now of course, because of the delay, which I have been pretty candid about, it has been too long, there has been a development in thinking thereafter," he said.
"But in terms of the points that were made in the report, the 25 points of learning, in terms of the three ones that were identified by Bishop James Jones... those have been fulfilled.
“And they have been fulfilled I think in a way which massively advances the state of our country."
He added that "of course, people want to have further discussions, I respect that and will of course accommodate them, but it’s important to note also in terms of what was requested, very significant changes have been made."
Charlotte Hennessy, whose father James died in the disaster, said a Hillsborough law was not "something that we just plucked out of the air a couple of weeks ago" and the government has had "six years to respond to the bishop’s report".
"We’ve been consulting for many years in relation to the Hillsborough law and how important it is that moving forward there is a legal duty of candour to all public servants," she said.
"Six years down the line, for them to now come out and not adhere to that and not say that’s what they’re going to be putting forward, of course it’s disappointing.
"It’s supposed to be about lessons being learned from what we’ve been through."
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died at Hillsborough, has said the government's response to the bishop's report was "like giving a child a packet of crisps but when you open it, there’s nothing in it".
“It’s as simple as that. To me that definitely does not go far enough," the Hillsborough campaigner said.
“We will be arguing for a Hillsborough law, that’s the most important thing to me.”
Louise Brookes, whose brother died in the Hillsborough disaster, said the government's new charter, which promises no family will suffer the same injustices as relatives of the disaster's victims, was "not worth the paper it's written on".
"It’s not only a joke, it’s just an absolute insult," Ms Brookes, from Bromsgrove, said.
"It’s taken nearly seven years to respond back.
"But also this charter, it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. People sign up to join the police, they swear an oath.
"You shouldn't have to have a law to make anybody do the honourable thing and tell the truth."
Theresa May has bemoaned the fact it has taken "so long" for the government to respond to the Right Rev Jones report.
Mrs May commissioned the report while she was prime minister in 2016.
Image source, ReutersThe Conservative MP told the Commons that what "underpinned the approach of the organs of the state at Hillsborough was a desire to protect themselves and their reputation rather than serve the public they were there to protect or indeed search for truth and justice - an attitude which occurred not just on that day, but has continued from those public authorities through the decades since".
"In the charter almost the most important point is that it requires organisations to place the public interest above their own reputation," she added.
She asked for details on specific steps on government action to ensure the culture was instilled "across the whole of the public sector".
Among the 25 recommendations from Right Rev James Jones was a "duty of candour" for police officers.
Image source, HILLSBOROUGH INQUESTSThe government has now said it will introduce this in England and Wales to "hold policing to the highest standards".
Chief constables must ensure their officers act with openness, and speak up on behalf of victims, the government said.
It would build on existing requirements for individual officer to cooperate with official investigations and inquiries.
Anyone who fails to co-operate with a statutory inquiry could face criminal sanctions under the Inquiries Act and police officers found to have committed a serious breach of professional standards, including failing to co-operate with an inquiry, could face dismissal.
In January, police forces apologised for "profound failings" which "continued to blight" relatives of victims of the Hillsborough disaster.
Today's response from the government does not go far enough, shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has said.
Image source, MARIA UNGER/ReutersSpeaking in the Commons, the shadow justice secretary said the response should be centred around the experience of the bereaved families.
"There is nothing in what we have seen from the government to date to suggest they will go as far as we believe is needed on requiring public authorities to act with candour and transparency," she said.
Ms Mahmood added that the bereaved families have said "without an effective duty of candour in place, the risk is that reform will simply add another layer of bureaucracy to what victims already have to endure".
She said the government's "requirement for a code of ethics was not enough".
Alex Chalk has said the Hillsborough families should take pride in the "enormity" of what their campaigning has achieved.
Image source, PAMr Chalk, the Secretary of State for Justice, said the government's response to Bishop James Jones' report on the Hillsborough disaster was an "important day".
"It doesn't provide closure for the families of course. As Bishop James himself wrote there can be no closure to love, nor should there be for someone you have loved and lost," he said.
"Grief is indeed a journey without a destination but today is a milestone on that journey.
"It is a moment I hope when families will pause and take quiet pride in the enormity of what they have achieved, not for themselves but for others, the British people.
"But I hope they will serve to cement and strengthen the Hillsborough families legacy, the changes they have made to benefit an entire nation and to help ensure that never again can our people be so betrayed by the very organisations and institutions that are meant to protect them."
The Hillsborough families suffered decades of cruelty as innocent fans were blamed for their own deaths, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told the Commons.
Image source, Parliament TV"That was later to be found to be a web of lies spun by those seeking to protect their own reputations," he added.
"These baseless narratives still exist today inexplicably in some quarters so let me take this opportunity to state what is not a matter of opinion but fact - that the fans who attended the match on 15 April 1989 bear no responsibility for the deaths that occurred."
Elkan Abrahamson, director of Hillsborough Law Now, has said to "wait six years for a government to respond to a report about a disaster that took place 34 years ago speaks volumes".
Mr Abrahamson said only the full reintroduction of the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill, which was introduced by then-MP Andy Burnham but fell when the 2017 general election was called, "will do; namely making a duty of candour enforceable and ensuring a level playing field between public authorities and those affected by disasters and wrongdoing at inquests and inquiries".
“Keir Starmer has pledged to enact this wide-ranging bill if he leads the Labour Party into power and, tiresome as it is to have to keep reminding the government of this, we will again be asking them to do the same.”
He also said that delivering the response "on a day when all eyes are on a former prime minister giving evidence to the Covid inquiry only seeks to increase the cynicism felt amongst Hillsborough families and the thousands of others who would benefit from a change in the law".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told the House of Commons he was “profoundly sorry” for what the Hillsborough families have been through.
Image source, UK Parliament/PAHe said the Hillsborough families had "suffered multiple injustices: The loss of 97 lives, the blaming of the fans and the unforgiveable institutional defensiveness by public bodies".
“I am profoundly sorry for what they have been through," he said.
Mr Sunak added that he hoped to meet the families in the new year.
The Hillsborough families have waited "too long" for the government's response to the report of Bishop James Jones, the Secretary of State for Justice has told the House of Commons.
Image source, PA MediaIn a statement to the House, Alex Chalk said he had the privilege of meeting the families earlier this year who had suffered a "double injustice" since the "unimaginable tragedy" which became an "enduring ordeal."
"The first was the abject failure of police and other authorities to protect their loved ones.
"Then they faced years of unforgiveable institutional defensiveness."
The review by Bishop Jones was commissioned in 2016 by the then Home Secretary Theresa May.
The report, titled The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power, made 25 recommendations could help shape the aftermath of future disasters.
Among them were:
You can read more on the 2017 report here.