Pledge of ‘full facts’ to football disaster families

Prime Minister David Cameron sought to quell any suggestion that the Government might suppress release of key papers by promising “full disclosure” of the documents before MPs united to demand they were released “uncensored” in a landmark House of Commons debate last night.

Families of the Liverpool fans who died at Hillsborough say they hope the documents will identify whether there was a “stitch-up” between then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South Yorkshire Police the morning after the 1989 tragedy to shift responsibility from officers to supporters. They also want to know who planted “scurrilous” stories that wrongly blamed fans turning up late, drunk and ticketless for the disaster. The subsequent inquiry blamed police crowd control.

Cabinet papers showing how Mrs Thatcher’s government responded to the tragedy are among about 300,000 documents which an independent panel has been studying in preparation for their release. The roles of South Yorkshire Police, fire and ambulance services and Sheffield City Council are all likely to come under scrutiny.

Last night, as the names of all 96 victims were read out in the House of Commons, MPs agreed there should be “full disclosure of all Government-related documents, including Cabinet minutes” relating to the disaster, saying they should be “uncensored and without redaction”. The debate was sparked by 140,000 people signing an online petition demanding the papers are released.

The president of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Trevor Hicks, said this was “the final chance to put the record straight” in establishing what happened at the FA Cup Semi Final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

The Government backed last night’s motion, and in a letter to Labour Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, who has campaigned for the families, Mr Cameron said he was “committed to full disclosure of any information that the Government holds on Hillsborough”, including Cabinet papers.

Families could be able to see the documents as early as next spring.

Mr Burnham welcomed the assurance, but addressing MPs in the Commons last night he said that when the documents were finally released it would require a national response to what was a “national scandal”.

He said: “Something else makes Hillsborough stand apart. Has there ever been, or will there ever be, another tragedy when within minutes an orchestrated campaign began to blame the victims, their families, friends and fellow supporters? That is precisely what happened here.

“It is unprecedented in the recent history of our country, an unbelievable act of brutality against 96 families, already suffering unbearable grief.”

Downing Street says all relevant Government documents have now been handed over to the Hillsborough Independent Panel, including uncensored Cabinet papers. The panel is deciding how they should be released.

Home Secretary Theresa May told MPs: “Let me say here and now, in this House and on the record, that as Home Secretary I will do everything in my power to ensure the families and the public get the truth.

“As a Government we fully support the Hillsborough Independent Panel... No Government papers will be withheld from the panel, no attempts to suppress publication will be made, no stone left unturned.”