Hillsborough families win backing in campaign for truth and justice

FAMILIES of the Hillsborough soccer disaster victims have been promised support until they prevail in their “dignified campaign” for truth and justice.

Shadow Education Secretary Andy Burnham, a Merseyside MP, said allowing the families of the 96 victims of the disaster in 1989 to get to the truth was the most important thing to him.

He was Culture Secretary when the Government finally promised to make all public documents available to them and set up an independent panel to sort through the documents and decide on their release.

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Mr Burnham in his conference speech yesterday: “For 22 years, this city has borne the deepest scars imaginable when 96 of its sons and daughters didn’t come home from an FA Cup semi-final.

“As it sought answers, obstacles were thrown up and insults added to injury. Perhaps we could have done more.

“But, with Gordon Brown’s support, Labour made the historic commitment to disclose all public documents through the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

“Conference, I ask you and our Party to stand with those Hillsborough families until they have finally prevailed in their dignified campaign for truth and justice. Nothing matters more to me on a personal level.”

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Turning to education, Mr Burnham called for a national UCAS-style admissions system to be introduced for vocational apprenticeships.

Admitting the last Labour government had failed to pay enough attention to those who did not go to university, he said Labour would give employers more influence over which subjects children studied at school.