Bereaved families from Manchester Arena bombing and Hillsborough disaster call for ‘Hillsborough Law now’

Bereaved families from the Manchester Arena bombing, the Hillsborough disaster and Grenfell are calling for the introduction of ‘Hillsborough Law Now’ that will change how they are treated during inquests.

Following the success of ITV’s drama Anne – which tells the tale of campaigner Anne Williams and her fight to get justice for the ninety-six Liverpool fans who died in the tragic 1989 Hillsborough disaster – the mayor of Greater Manchester is now calling for a ‘fundamental reform’ in how bereaved families involved in large scale legal proceedings and inquests.

The law was originally brought to parliament by Andy Burnham back in 2017 when he was an MP, and proposed bringing in a number of measures, including giving bereaved families better access to money for legal representation at inquests, and forcing public authorities to tell the truth during legal proceedings.

A Hillsborough Law Now summit is currently being co-hosted by Burnham and the Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram at the People’s History Museum today, and includes speakers who include representatives of bereaved families from tragedies past and present.

Burnham said: “Truth, justice and accountability will not flourish without a fundamental re-balancing of our legal, coronial and judicial systems.

“Out of respect for the Hillsborough families, we call on the Government to commit to that by bringing forward a Hillsborough Law – now.”

Rotheram added: “We need a Hillsborough Law now to ensure that ordinary people have a fair chance at getting the justice they deserve.”

In his campaign video, Burnham added that the Hillsborough Law would ‘make this country a place where truth and justice are more likely to happen’, saying: “The lack of fairness in the system has meant we constantly see the same mistakes of history repeating themselves.

“We’ve seen what’s happened to the Hillsborough families, but also the families that have suffered from the contaminated blood scandal, and today, families fighting for justice for Grenfell.

“This is a pattern that keeps on repeating itself, and until we have a Hillsborough Law, that pattern won’t be broken.”

You can watch the Hillsborough Law Now summit live here.