Hillsborough Inquiry: Calls for new law to hold public authorities to account
Former prime ministers back calls for Public Authority Accountability Bill
The Hillsborough Inquiry has called for a new law to hold public authorities to account, after finding that a catalogue of negligence led to the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester who campaigned with the Hillsborough families, said that the findings exposed "a catalogue of negligence, appalling failure and sheer incompetence".
He called for the full reintroduction of the Public Authority Accountability Bill, which was dropped by the government in 2019. The bill would have created a new offence of corporate manslaughter for public authorities, and would have made it easier to hold senior officials to account.
The former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown also backed the calls for a new law. Blair said that the Hillsborough Inquiry had "exposed a systemic failure of public authorities to take responsibility for their actions", while Brown said that the new law was "essential to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again".
The Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester mayors, Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham, have also called for the government to introduce a new law. Rotheram said that the Hillsborough Inquiry had "vindicated the families' 34-year fight for justice", while Burnham said that the new law was "a matter of basic accountability".
Conclusion
The Hillsborough Inquiry has exposed a catalogue of negligence and appalling failure by public authorities. The calls for a new law to hold public authorities to account are an important step towards ensuring that such a tragedy never happens again.
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