The Hillsborough Law should not be diluted if lessons of the past are to be learned

Hillsborough, Grenfell and Covid-19 are just three examples, distinctly different, but they share a common thread. At the heart of these disasters are institutional failings compounded by cover-ups designed to protect public authorities and officials.

If lessons are going to be truly learned from mistakes of the past, then there needs to be a legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively co-operate with official investigations and inquiries.

Too often there is obfuscation and selective recall during inquiries, with parties seeking to prevent blame from landing on their doorstep. In the process victims and their loved ones are denied justice. If anything, it just adds to the pain that they have already had to endure.

Disasters are followed up with pledges of ‘never again’. But if that is to be the case then public officials should be required to tell the truth.

It sounds like a very basic expectation but despite this and the fact that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously pledged to introduce the so-called “Hillsborough Law” before this year’s anniversary of the tragedy, which took place on April 15 1989, there are concerns that the legislation could be watered down.

That would not be acceptable to campaigners nor would it be acceptable to the public. Legislation must be presented to Parliament without dilution, as campaigners have called for.