Margaret Aspinall's plea to PM over Hillsborough law

Jenny Coleman & Jonny Humphries, BBC News, Liverpool

15 April 2025

The mother of one of the 97 victims of the Hillsborough disaster has called on Sir Keir Starmer to "not take too long in doing the right thing" over a Hillsborough law.

Sir Keir had previously promised to pass a bill by 15 April, the 36th anniversary of the disaster, but Downing Street confirmed on Monday "more time" was needed to pass the "best version" of the legislation.

Margaret Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James at Hillsborough, said a "watered down" version of the law would be "no use" and it must be introduced "in all its entirety".

The Hillsborough Law would force public bodies to co-operate with investigations into major disasters or potentially face criminal sanctions.

Ms Aspinall said: "I'm pleased to hear that he's going to do the best version, but the best version for me is it's got to be all in its entirety.

"It's no use watering it down in any way, shape, or form otherwise it would never be a Hillsborough Law."

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