This month, the UK government introduced landmark legislation widely known as the Hillsborough Law; a long-fought legacy for the 97 lives lost in the Hillsborough disaster, and a promise to prevent institutional cover-ups of state wrongdoing ever again. Formally called the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, the law is being hailed by campaigners as transformative: it places a legal duty of candour on public officials, makes it easier for bereaved families to get publicly funded legal support at inquests, and creates new criminal offences for misconduct and misleading the public.
Here’s how the new law will work in practice, and why it could reshape accountability in public life.
A Legal Duty of Candour and Assistance
At the heart of the bill is a statutory “duty of candour and assistance.” Public authorities and officials (including civil servants, local government, police, regulators, and even private bodies carrying out public functions) will be legally required to cooperate with inquests, investigations, and inquiries — proactively, transparently, and honestly.
Under this “always-on” duty, public bodies must:
- Notify investigations of relevant information they hold, even if it doesn’t immediately serve their own interests
- Fully disclose evidence, documents, and internal position statements, rather than withholding or sanitising them
- Assist promptly and without delay, instead of dragging their feet or treating cooperation as optional.
If they fail to comply, there are criminal sanctions on the table: individuals or authorities could face up to two years in prison or a fine for breaching this duty.
New Criminal Offences: Misleading the Public & Misconduct in Office
To enforce accountability, the bill doesn’t just rely on polite legal obligations; it introduces serious offences.
- Misleading the Public: One of the most eye-catching elements of the Hillsborough Law is a new offence for public officials who intentionally or recklessly mislead the public in a way that is “seriously improper.” This goes beyond mere spin: if someone deliberately distorts, lies, or omits in a way that damages trust or conceals wrongdoing, they could face criminal charges (again, up to two years’ imprisonment).
- Misconduct in Public Office: The Bill replaces the older common-law offence with two statutory offences, depending on severity: one for failure to prevent death or serious injury, and another for “seriously improper” conduct. The penalties are heavy; up to 14 years in jail for the most serious breaches.
By codifying these, the law makes clear that public office isn’t a free pass for lies or cover-ups.
Parity of Representation: Legal Aid at Inquests
For decades, bereaved families have faced a profound imbalance at inquests: while the state is backed by top legal teams, families often struggled to get funding or representation. The Hillsborough Law attempts to fix that.
- It provides non-means-tested legal aid for bereaved families in inquests, when a public authority is an “interested person.”
- There will also be a duty on public bodies to ensure their legal spend is proportionate, so the state cannot simply roll in with a massive, well-paid legal army.
- New guidance will set out how state lawyers and representatives should behave; with “openness and honesty,” focused on helping the coroner establish the facts, not just defending the institution.
This “parity of arms” is widely seen as a restorative justice measure: for the first time, families will be on something like equal legal footing.
Ethical Frameworks & Codes of Conduct
To support the duty of candour, the bill requires public bodies to adopt mandatory codes of conduct that embed honesty, integrity, and transparency into everyday public service. These codes must also include:
- Clear internal reporting and whistleblowing routes
- Disciplinary sanctions for breaches of candour
- Training and accountability mechanisms so that candour isn’t just a box-ticking exercise.
The hope is that these ethical frameworks will help embed a culture shift, not just provide legal teeth.
Real-World Implications: What Happens in Practice
So how might the Hillsborough Law play out in real cases?
- Imagine a future inquest into a public disaster – say, another stadium tragedy or large-scale institutional failure. Under the new law, all public officials involved would be required by statute to share what they know, rather than holding back.
- If a government official knowingly misleads the public in press briefings, or buries key evidence to protect their institution, they could potentially be criminally prosecuted.
- Families who never had the resources to fight back at inquests would finally get funded legal representation, ensuring their voice is not drowned out by state lawyers.
Why This Moment Matters
This isn’t just symbolic. The Hillsborough Law is being championed as a legacy to the 97, not just for their memory, but to ensure that their fight for truth changes the system forever.
For campaigners, it’s deeply personal. INQUEST, the charity that supports bereaved families in state-related deaths, has backed the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, saying the duty of candour is “the most effective way to end evasive and obstructive practices” by public bodies.
Senior voices are also pushing its importance. The Lord Chancellor, David Lammy, has praised the law as a major step toward ending a culture of secrecy and impunity.
Of course, no bill of this scale is without controversy. Some campaigners worry that the scope of the duty of candour may be drafted too narrowly or diluted in parliamentary negotiations. The financial cost of legal aid is also a sticking point: estimates suggest £65–£180 million annually, with tens of millions in running costs for the Legal Aid Agency.
The new offence of misleading the public has a high threshold: it must be “seriously improper,” not just a mistake or miscommunication, and some critics argue enforcement could be weak, or that exceptions (e.g., national security) could undermine the law’s ambition.
On platforms like Reddit, the bill has already sparked conversation. One commenter on r/GoodNewsUK described it as “possibly the most good news we’ll see for a long time,” celebrating the fact that public officials may finally face consequences for cover-ups. Another user on r/ukpolitics highlighted the five key duties written into the bill: candour, ethical codes, misleading the public, updating misconduct offences, and equal legal funding for families. These grassroots reactions underscore how deeply the law resonates, not just with campaigners and politicians, but ordinary people who believe in a more accountable state.
What Comes Next
- The bill was introduced to Parliament on 16 September 2025.
- On 3 November 2025, MPs gave it a second reading.
- A Public Bill Committee is now calling for written evidence, helping scrutinise the law line by line.
Campaigners are watching closely, especially around issues like how strictly the duty of candour is defined, and how well legal aid is funded and administered.
Final Thoughts
The Hillsborough Law isn’t just a piece of legislation. It’s a promise made, and a promise kept. After decades of lobbying, campaigning, and heartbreak, families who lost loved ones in Hillsborough (and survivors) may finally see structural change in how the state operates in tragedy: a legal duty to tell the truth, mechanisms for genuine transparency, and real accountability when things go wrong.
If this bill passes in its current form, it could mark one of the biggest shifts in public accountability in a generation. For the 97, their families, and all those who have suffered institutional neglect or cover-ups, it’s a legacy worth fighting for.
Image source: Sky News
