Starmer to U-turn on giving veto powers to spy chiefs in bid to push through delayed Hillsborough Law
The Prime Minister faced backlash from families and MPs after watering down the delayed legislation.
Sir Keir Starmer is set to U-turn on giving veto powers to MI5 and other security services on giving evidence in public inquiries under the Government’s Hillsborough Law.
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It means spy chiefs will face greater scrutiny as part of efforts to prevent instutional cover-ups.
Instead, British intelligence officials will require authorisation by a judge if they want to withhold key information on national security grounds.
The rowback comes amid a backlash over the stalemate on the government’s Hillsborough Law - legislation which has been delayed for over a year.
If approved, it will enforce a duty of candour on public authorities, ensuring they truthfully assist investigations into disasters and scandals - meaning public servants could face jail if they fail to tell the truth.
However, the Government wanted to amend the law to give bosses from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ the power to decide what they could disclose.
Read more: Hillsborough victims' parents welcome police pledge to correct records
Now, Sir Keir is expected to soften those powers following a backlash from bereaved families and MPs.
The Prime Minister will also extend the new duty of candour law to cover counterterrorism police and defence intelligence in efforts to unblock the legislation.
It comes after officials including police officers were found to have covered up and misled the public about events that led up to the Hillsborough Disaster.
The bill was scheduled to pass a key stage - the Report Stage - in the House of Commons on Wednesday 14 January.
It was delayed again amid concerns its “duty of candour" element was being watered down to protect security services such as MI5 and MI6.
It comes ahead of the 37th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster this week.
Sir Keir told reporters on Monday: "This week is the anniversary... a reminder of the horror of Hillsborough.
“The families, many of whom I've met, have gone through huge amounts of grief and pain for a very long time, and a great deal of injustice.
“We made a promise we would introduce the Hillsborough Law, a duty of candour, a duty to come forward and tell the truth. I intend to make good on that promise. We are going through the final details of that now."
The Hillsborough Law campaign has also been supported by the families of victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
Last month, these families wrote to Sir Keir Starmer urging him to ensure Hillsborough Law leaves no public exempt, including individuals from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
"How many times must MI5 show that it cannot be trusted before something is done?”
The 1989 Hillsborough Disaster saw the death of 97 Liverpool fans at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest on April 15.
In December, an investigation found 12 police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings for "fundamental failures" after trying to shift blame onto fans in the aftermath.
The report published by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) also upheld or found cases to answer for misconduct in 92 complaints about police actions.
However, the law at the time means no officers will face disciplinary proceedings because they had all retired before investigations began.