Andy Burnham backs Hillsborough Law and said justice system needs 'levelling up'

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has backed calls for a Hillsborough Law, claiming the British justice system needs “levelling up”.

He said there is an urgent need to “rebalance the system” as it is “too hard” for working people in the UK to fight for justice when they go up against powerful organisations and teams of expensive lawyers.

The Labour mayor spoke out on an episode of Question Time, during a debate on the Post Office scandal, when hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses were given criminal convictions due to faulty accounting software developed by Fujitsu.

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Mr Burnham said he hoped the inquiry will “get to the truth”, but he does not believe that anyone will be held accountable as the families of the 97 people who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster are still fighting for justice.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy BurnhamMayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham

“It’s too hard for working people in this country to fight for justice. It takes too long - the battle takes too much out of them,” he said.

“It’s too hard for them to get justice and it’s too easy for public and private bodies to cover up. That is just a fact.

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“If something needs levelling up in this country, it’s the scales of justice, because they are weighed against ordinary people.

Ninety-seven men, women and children died in the tragedy at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in Sheffield on April 15 1989.Ninety-seven men, women and children died in the tragedy at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in Sheffield on April 15 1989.
Ninety-seven men, women and children died in the tragedy at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in Sheffield on April 15 1989.
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“Public bodies go to court rooms and they hire the best QCs in the land. Bereaved families are often denied any legal support at all.

“What chance do they have when they’re raw with grief going into those courtrooms?”

Mr Burnham claimed the proposed Hillsborough Law would “rebalance the system” and "spare people fighting for justice so much pain, so much grief and so much time spent in the wilderness lost”.

The proposed law would introduce a statutory duty of candour on public servants during all forms of public inquiry and criminal investigation.

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It also aims to ensure proper participation of bereaved families at inquests, through publicly-funded legal representation, and the provision of a public advocate to act for families of the deceased after major incidents.

Inquests which concluded in 2016 found the Hillsborough victims were unlawfully killed.

But match commander David Duckenfield was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter in 2019 and a trial of two retired police officers and a former force solicitor, who were accused of perverting the course of justice, collapsed last year after a judge ruled there was no case to answer.

Renewed calls for the law follow four-part docu-drama Anne which aired on ITV, starring Maxine Peake and written by Kevin Sampson.

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It told the story of Anne Williams, whose 15-year-old son Kevin died in the disaster.

The Government has said it is currently preparing a detailed response to the findings of a 2017 review, conducted by former Bishop of Liverpool James Jones. It looked into the experiences of the bereaved families and produced 25 recommendations.