On 15 April 1989, I walked into Hillsborough Stadium as a hopeful 16-year-old, excited to watch my beloved Liverpool FC in an FA Cup semi-final. Like thousands of others, I never imagined I was walking into one of the worst disasters in British history.

The events of that day led to the deaths of 97 men, women, and children. Hundreds more were injured. Entire families were devastated. But what followed was not healing or accountability – it was a systematic cover-up, a coordinated campaign of lies and denial from the very institutions meant to protect us.

Hillsborough wasn’t a tragic accident. It was a preventable disaster caused by police failings. Yet instead of owning-up, the state closed ranks. Victims were blamed. Evidence was manipulated. Families were treated as agitators. The legal system didn’t serve justice – it became an instrument of obstruction.

My dad was seriously injured that day. Like thousands of others, he carries physical and emotional scars. We fought for justice not as lawyers or campaigners, but as ordinary working-class people. My dad raised money for legal fees in a local pub while those responsible were protected by top barristers funded by the state. One side grieving and scraping for justice. The other – shielded, well-resourced, and unaccountable.

And this playbook has repeated itself. Grenfell. The Post Office Horizon scandal. The infected blood scandal. Manchester Arena. Covid-19. Each time, devastated families forced into years – sometimes decades – of fighting to be heard, while the state focuses on protecting its reputation, not uncovering the truth.

It’s not a broken system. It’s a system working exactly as designed – to shield the powerful and grind down the public. I often tell school students, through our Real Truth Legacy Project, that seeking truth in these cases feels like being blindfolded, your hands tied, going toe-to-toe with a heavyweight.

This must change. That’s why I was proud that Labour’s 2024 manifesto committed to pass the Hillsborough Law – a transformative piece of legislation to end cover-ups and ensure truth and accountability. In 2022, Keir Starmer made the following pledge in Liverpool: ‘one of my first acts as Prime Minister will be to put the Hillsborough Law on the statute book’. He repeated that promise as Prime Minister in September 2024.

Everyone knew what he meant, because the Hillsborough Law is a real, fully drafted bill. It was written by legal experts Pete Weatherby KC and Elkan Abrahamson, and first introduced by Andy Burnham in 2017. It is the product of years of work, shaped by families who have suffered unimaginable loss.

The law does two vital things. First, it introduces a statutory duty of candour – a legal requirement for public authorities and officials to tell the truth and cooperate with investigations, with criminal sanctions for failure. Second, it ensures equal legal representation for victims of disasters and state-related deaths during inquests and inquiries.

If this law had been in place in 1989, the truth about Hillsborough couldn’t have been buried – those responsible for hiding the truth would have known that they would face punishment.

But earlier this year, the government presented Hillsborough lawyers with a replacement bill. It was nothing more than a toothless imitation. It lacked a binding duty of candour, failed to guarantee legal parity, and was riddled with loopholes. Hillsborough families rejected it, and the Government quietly cancelled its rollout.

Now there are rumours that the government will imminently introduce another replacement bill, which still fails to include all key aspects of the Hillsborough Law. Let me be clear: introducing a hollow imitation bill would be another betrayal of Hillsborough families, survivors, and all victims of state cover-ups.

That’s why today I am reintroducing the real Hillsborough Law – the same legislation Andy Burnham tabled in 2017, and the one the Prime Minister pledged to enact. It’s ready to go. All it needs is the political will.

Resistance to this law isn’t about legal complexity. It’s about self-preservation. Senior officials and institutions fear scrutiny more than they value transparency. But the Hillsborough Law won’t weaken public institutions – it will strengthen them. It will protect the many honest public servants who want to do the right thing but are pressured into silence.

It will also save money. Long, obstructive inquests like those following Hillsborough, Grenfell, or the infected blood scandal cost hundreds of millions of pounds. These costs are driven by delay, denial, and obstruction – not candour. Truth is cheaper than a cover-up.

Last week 167 MPs and Lords from across Parliament signed a letter I coordinated, urging the Prime Minister to honour his promise. This is not a partisan cause. Support spans parties, communities, and generations. The public don’t want another whitewash. They want truth, accountability, and integrity in public life.

The Hillsborough Law can’t bring back those we’ve lost. It can’t erase the pain. But it can make sure no family ever has to endure this again.

So I say to the Prime Minister: don’t let your promise in Liverpool be broken in Westminster. The law is written. It’s ready. What it needs now is courage.

Let us honour the 97 not just with remembrance – but with real, lasting change.