Liverpool manager Arne Slot has said he is “surprised” that legislation born from the club’s darkest day has yet to be enacted, as the 37th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster approaches.
Writing in a matchday programme ahead of Wednesday’s sombre milestone, the head coach paid tribute to the 97 fans who died, the survivors, and the bereaved. “Since becoming head coach, I have been able to hear some of their stories and the passage of time does not make them any less moving,” he said.
He added a pointed comment on the long-awaited Hillsborough Law: “I have also been told about the campaign for a Hillsborough Law and having listened to the reasons and knowing the story behind them, it surprises me that this is still to be introduced. This is not an opinion based on my association with Liverpool FC either. It is the view of someone who believes bereaved families should not have to fight and campaign for the truth about how their loved ones lost their lives, it should be provided as a matter of course.”
The Core of the Proposed Law
The legislation Slot references, officially titled the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, seeks to fundamentally alter how the state responds to public tragedies. Its central pillar is the creation of a statutory “duty of candour” for public authorities and officials.
This legal obligation would require them to act with honesty, transparency, and frankness, proactively cooperating with inquiries and investigations. The aim is to prevent the obfuscation and institutional defensiveness that marked the decades-long fight for justice by the Hillsborough families, and to ensure bereaved families are provided with the truth as a right, not a hard-won concession.
The proposed law goes further, however. It includes provisions for criminal sanctions against officials who intentionally or recklessly mislead the public or fail in this duty. It also seeks to place bereaved families on a “fair and equal footing” by guaranteeing them publicly funded legal representation at inquests, aiming to end costly “David and Goliath-style” legal battles against well-resourced public bodies.
A Stalled Legislative Journey
Despite broad cross-party support and passing its Second Reading in the House of Commons in November 2025, the bill’s progress has since stalled. The primary point of contention lies in its application to intelligence and security services like MI5 and MI6.
Last year, the government proposed amendments that would have allowed spies to be brought within the law’s scope, but only with the approval of their service heads. Campaigners, including the Hillsborough Law Now group, warned this created a dangerous loophole to escape the new duty and amounted to an “insult”. Following a significant backlash, the government withdrew the amendments.
Reports now suggest the revised approach would require intelligence chiefs to make a court application for any disclosures to be exempted. The bill’s progress was paused in January 2026 as the government seeks what it calls the right balance.
The delay stands in contrast to the forceful campaign that has grown from the 1989 disaster, now joined by advocates from other major scandals including the Grenfell Tower fire, the infected blood scandal, and the Post Office Horizon affair, all highlighting the same need for systemic accountability.
Political Promises and the Path Forward
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose 2024 manifesto pledged to introduce a Hillsborough Law, has reiterated his commitment to the legislation. Speaking on Monday, he stated the government was “working with the families and others on the final balance”.
“The duty of candour, the duty, basically, that public officials need to come forward and tell the truth – that’s a really important principle that drives me,” Sir Keir said. “So, we’ll keep working on this, it’s important to get it right… I’ve made a promise and I intend to act on that promise.”
This commitment follows an apology from former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in December 2023 for the injustices suffered by the Hillsborough families, though his government stopped short of backing a full Hillsborough Law, arguing existing measures and a “Hillsborough Charter” were sufficient. A government spokesperson has stated the bill aims to make public bodies and intelligence agencies more scrutinised without compromising national security, but campaigners insist only its full, unwatered implementation will achieve its intended impact.
