Campaigners for a new Hillsborough Law insist it must be ‘all or nothing’.
Labour pledged to enshrine the legislation into law before this month’s 36th anniversary of the tragedy that saw the unlawful killing of 97 Liverpool fans.
But the bill, which will ensure a duty of candour by public authorities on official investigations and inquiries with failure to comply treated as a criminal offence.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been due to meet with campaigners last month but the talks did not take place amid claims the bill was being watered down.
Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, and cabinet office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds attended a ‘family listening day’ on February 3 where they heard the thoughts of bereaved families and survivors on a Hillsborough Law.
Commons leader Lucy Powell has now stated the government will take ‘whatever time is necessary’ to ensure a bill that ‘meets the expectations’ of bereaved families.
Inquest director Deborah Coles described the delay as ‘disappointing’ while insisting the law “must be ‘all or nothing’, without dilution or caveat, to ensure the response to contentious deaths, harms and grave injustices dramatically improves”.
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James was one of the 97 victims at Hillsborough, said: “After hearing the stories of all the other families fighting for justice, I am more determined than ever to demand that the Hillsborough law presented to parliament is ‘all or nothing’.”