Key Facts

• The 'Hillsborough Law' would impose a duty on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively co-operate with official investigations and inquiries, aiming to prevent cover-ups linked to state failures.
• The legislation, formally known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, was a pledge in Labour's 2024 general election manifesto and is expected to be approved by MPs, with Sir Keir Starmer presenting it as part of his legacy as prime minister.
• The bill's approval was delayed due to wrangling over how the duty applies to the intelligence services, with ministers recently breaking the deadlock with further amendments to address concerns over national security.
• The proposed law commits to providing legal aid for victims of disasters or state-related deaths and takes its name from the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, where police leaders were found to have spread false narratives and withheld evidence of their own failings.
• The government has tabled amendments to the bill, which campaigners have said means there would be no exemption for the intelligence services, and ministers believe would not compromise national security, with the aim of having the law on the statute book by April next year.