Andy Burnham urged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer not to "water down" the long-awaited Hillsborough Law on the eve of its formal unveiling, as campaigners welcomed the inclusion of a legal "duty of candour" on public officials but warned the legislation must survive parliamentary scrutiny intact.
The Government said the bill would impose "seismic" changes, including a professional and legal duty requiring public officials to act with honesty and integrity or face possible criminal sanctions. The proposed measures also include non-means tested legal support for families at inquests and other provisions intended to prevent institutional cover-ups that campaigners say have compounded the pain of bereaved families.
Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and a long-standing advocate for families affected by the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, said he would be "unflinching" in pressing for the full shape of the law. Backed by some Labour rebels as a potential leadership contender despite not being an MP, he said key demands included "parity of legal funding" for families at inquests where the state is involved and "a full duty of candour which applies institutionally and individually with criminal sanctions."
Campaigners welcomed the inclusion of a duty of candour after fears the bill might be weakened during a period of redrafting. Sue Roberts, whose brother Graham was unlawfully killed at Hillsborough, described the proposals as "a huge step in the right direction" and said families would be watching to ensure the bill is passed "in its entirety and enacted in full." Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died at Hillsborough, also expressed hope that the law "will mean no one will ever have to suffer like we did."
Organisations and individuals affected by other public tragedies voiced support for measures they say could provide broader protections. Natasha Elcock of Grenfell United, representing families of victims of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, said the bill would help ensure bereaved people and survivors are properly supported. Lobby Akinnola, who lost his father during the COVID-19 pandemic, called the legislation "a huge step" toward justice.
The Hillsborough campaign, driven for decades by families seeking accountability for the deaths of 97 Liverpool football supporters at an FA Cup semi‑final in 1989, has long sought specific legal changes to prevent state and institutional cover-ups. Campaigners previously accused ministers of "betrayal" when earlier proposals stopped short of a comprehensive bill. The new draft seeks to codify obligations on public servants and institutions, and to provide better-funded legal representation for bereaved families at inquests.
Sir Keir Starmer, praising the persistence of Hillsborough campaigners, said the legislation could alter "the balance of power in Britain" so the state "can never hide from the people it is supposed to serve." He said the law would extend beyond Hillsborough victims to others affected by public scandals, citing sub-postmasters from the Horizon affair, victims of infected blood, and those who died in the Grenfell fire.
Parliamentary timing and the bill's passage will determine how much of the proposals become law. Campaign groups urged ministers and MPs to resist pressure from any vested interests seeking to dilute the measures. A spokesperson for the Hillsborough Law Now campaign said that, if implemented in full, the law "will lead to massive cultural change and prevent the cover-ups and institutional defensiveness that have pervaded across so many disasters and scandals."
Though the legislation is focused on the United Kingdom, the debate over a statutory duty of candour echoes broader, ongoing discussions about public‑sector transparency and official accountability in other democracies. In the United States, inquiries into government responses to crises such as Hurricane Katrina and the Flint water crisis have prompted calls for stronger oversight and clearer obligations for public officials; advocates say statutory duties and improved legal support for affected families can change institutional behaviour and improve public trust.
The unveiling of the bill adds a new dimension to internal Labour politics. Burnham’s public stance underscores tensions within the party over leadership and policy priorities ahead of legislative scrutiny. He has championed Hillsborough families for more than 15 years and said anything less than a "full Hillsborough Law" would be unacceptable.
Parliamentary debate and potential amendments are expected to follow as the bill moves through Westminster. Campaigners and bereaved families have pledged to scrutinise the process closely to ensure the measures survive amendment and are enacted as intended.
The Hillsborough disaster prompted multiple public inquiries and long-running legal battles; the proposed law represents a legislative attempt to enshrine lessons from those investigations into enforceable duties and support mechanisms for victims’ families. Whether it achieves the degree of legal change its proponents seek will depend on the details that emerge as ministers and lawmakers negotiate the legislation in the coming months.