The campaigner spoke to the ECHO at the Weights Lunch which she attended with Sue Roberts
The campaigner spoke to the ECHO at the Weights Lunch which she attended with Sue Roberts
Margaret Aspinall has provided an update on the Hillsborough Law as she reiterated the importance of getting the bill over the line in its entirety. The law – officially called the Public Office (Accountability) Bill – aims to force public officials and contractors to tell the truth after disasters through a new legally bound duty of candour.
It is named in honour of the 97 Liverpool fans who were unlawfully killed at Hillsborough and their families who faced decades of lies as they fought for truth and justice. The Bill will also see the biggest expansion of legal aid in a decade in order to provide a level playing field for families and loved ones appearing at inquests and inquiries.
But a major row has developed over how the new law will cover the nation’s intelligence and security services, with families and campaigners insisting that an amendment brought forward by the government amounted to a “carve out” for spies. The government says the security services would be subject to the duty of candour, but there were concerns that their amendment said the head of a particular service may have the discretion to decide if information can be released or not.
Ms Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James was unlawfully killed at Hillsborough in 1989, has been one of the most prominent and important figures in the campaign for truth, justice and for a lasting legacy for the 97 Liverpool fans who died in the disaster. Speaking to the ECHO at the Weights Lunch yesterday (February 17), she said that the bill must not be watered down.
She said: “I’ve always said, even to the Prime Minister, we want it all in its entirety. We don’t want it in bits. It’s not a Hillsborough Law without it in all its entirety. What they’re trying to say [now is] you’ve got to be careful with national security.
“National security does not come in to the likes of Hillsborough, to the likes of Grenfell. What has national security got to do with that? This is all in the interest of the people.
“This is about getting it right, for the people, for the future, for your grandchildren. The future. We’ve got to have a law that will suit everybody, not just a certain few.”
The Bill is yet to clear the Commons and faces further scrutiny in both Houses of Parliament at a later date. Ms Aspinall spoke to the ECHO at the Weights Lunch, which she attended with fellow campaigner Sue Roberts.
Ms Aspinall is grateful for the way she is invited to the Grand National meeting each year and said it is an important part of the city. She said: “The Grand National is great for the city. They wanted to take it away a good few years ago, but this is a big thing all over the world. The National always puts Liverpool on the map.”
She added: “I’ve got a few special memories. Especially the one when I had to do a talk with Kenny Dalglish. That’s a good memory, but we get invited every year. They don’t have to do that and the Chairman always invites us to the Ladies Day. Or we can choose if we wanted to go to the National. But the Ladies Day is always very special.”
Ms Roberts added: “It’s the only race I’m really interested in. Memories of the Grand National go back to when I was a kid. We always put a little bet on. 50p each way. Some years you’d win. Some years you wouldn’t. It always felt like you’d won a thousand pound if you won 50p.”
- Hillsborough
