The UK government has rejected the reforms known as the “Hillsborough law,” a campaign led by the families of 97 people killed in the 1989 disaster who sought to prevent future police cover-ups. The law was proposed in a 2017 report by James Jones and would have required police and public authorities to be transparent and to act in the public’s interest after a major incident. Instead, the government has signed a “Hillsborough charter” committing departments to be more open and transparent after such tragedies, which was also recommended by Jones.
The government’s slow response to Jones’s report was apologised for by Alex Chalk, the justice minister, and James Cleverly, the home secretary. Ministers had initially been reluctant to respond to avoid prejudicing criminal trials of South Yorkshire police officers which saw no convictions in May of this year. The government acknowledged that its slow response had compounded the agony of the Hillsborough families and survivors, and apologised deeply for it.
The government’s Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy commits to a six-point charter that is identical to Jones’s proposed law. The government has also committed to introducing an independent public advocate to act for bereaved families and victims of a major incident. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has expressed his commitment to introduce the Hillsborough law if his party wins the next election.
The six-point charter for police and public authorities proposed by Jones would have required them to place the public interest above their own reputation after a public tragedy; approach inquests and public inquiries with candour, openness, honesty, and transparency; avoid knowingly misleading the public or media; refrain from defending the indefensible or disparaging those who may have suffered where they have fallen short; maintain adequate resourcing for disaster investigations; and ensure that all public authorities tasked with responding to a disaster actively cooperate with investigations
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