Government will miss its own deadline to bring in Hillsborough Law
Sky News understands that the legislation has been delayed after concerns from families that the legal "duty of candour" had been watered down.
Faye Brown, Political reporter, Sky News
Published Friday 4 April 2025
The Hillsborough Law will not be implemented before the next anniversary of the disaster as promised, the government has confirmed.
In a statement to Sky News, a spokesperson said that after consulting with families, "more time is needed" to draft the best version of the legislation.
Sky News understands families had concerns about the "duty of candour" element being watered down, with a source close to the discussions calling what was proposed an "absolute mess".
The duty of candour was meant to put a legal duty on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively cooperate with official investigations and inquiries, with criminal punishments for those who breach it.
However, the source said what was proposed had "that many loopholes" that the duty would be rendered "useless and ineffective".
The "completely watered down" bill also didn't include a reference to parity of arms, they added, which would require fair funding of legal assistance so one side does not have all the expertise because of unlimited taxpayer funding.