After over six years, the government has signed a Hillsborough Charter, apologising for the delay in doing so. This charter promises that no family should have to experience the same injustices as those who lost loved ones in the 1989 disaster. The disaster saw the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans during an FA Cup semi-final. However, despite signing the charter, the government has stopped short of introducing a “Hillsborough Law”, which campaigners called for to introduce a statutory “duty of candour” on public servants during all investigations and inquiries.
The government has stated that it will introduce a duty for police officers to uphold the highest standards, but the same will not be imposed on other public servants. The delay in signing the charter was acknowledged by the government, its statement stating that it had “taken too long, compounding the agony of the Hillsborough families and survivors.” Days after the disaster in 1989, police officers were misled into blaming the deaths on “drunken, ticketless Liverpool supporters,” when in actuality, their deaths were due to the mismanagement of the police, ambulance service, and defects in the stadium.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that he was “profoundly sorry” for the pain endured by the Hillsborough families, adding that he hoped to meet with them in the new year. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the families deserved “the thanks of our nation” and praised their unflinching determination to make sense of the senselessness and bring about change for others. Elkan Abrahamson, director of Hillsborough Law Now, a campaign group, called for the government to make the duty of candour legally enforceable and to ensure that there is “a level playing field between public authorities and those affected by disasters and wrongdoing at inquests and inquiries.”
The Hillsborough disaster saw a 27-year campaign by families and survivors who fought to demonstrate that their relatives and supporters were not responsible for the deaths. In 2016, a jury concluded that the victims were unlawfully killed, and the supporters did not contribute to their deaths. Campaigners for a Hillsborough Law may argue that the government’s response falls short of the statutory duty of candour they had hoped for. However, the government has noted that police will be held accountable through separate legislation
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