Up next in 10
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has opened the Labour Party Conference this weekend discussing the new Hillsborough Law that will place a legal duty of candour on all public officials to prevent cover-ups like those seen after some of Britain’s worst scandals.The law, demanded for years by the families of those who died at Hillsborough, will require officials to act with honesty and integrity at all times.Under the plans, public servants who mislead the public could face criminal prosecution, with a new offence created to punish those who cover up the truth.WATCH THE CLIP ABOVE FOR MORE
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Thank you conference, thank you Liam, it is a wonderful city and we are so happy to be
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back here. But conference every year when we come to Liverpool, we are reminded about
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the depth of loss and pain felt because of 97 people, so many of them young, never came
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back from a football match. And then shamefully the state covered up the truth, even colluded
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in smearing the victims, a stain on our national story. Now for the past few years we as a party
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I as an individual have vowed to do what we can to bring a measure of justice to the families affected by this
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And I say a measure of justice because nothing can ever replace the loss that is felt so deeply, unimaginable loss
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But just as important to reform our state so it can never happen again
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so I am delighted to say that this year we do not have
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to make any more vows we have a law the Hillsborough Law
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a law which shows that this government
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is on the side of justice that we will do the hard yards
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for working people and that we're building a country which sees and respects everyone
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It an incredibly important moment for the 97 for Liverpool but most of all for the whole country At conference we must recognise that it was an unacceptably long and hard fight for the campaigners
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for the families and victims of Hillsborough to get us to this point
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And so it's not the government that should be thanked, it's not me that should be thanked
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it's the families and campaigners who after such unimaginable loss had almost every obstacle put in
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their path to get to justice but it is my privilege and it is a privilege to introduce someone now
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who can tell you all about that fight and what this law means for so many people across this
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country conference please welcome charlotte hennessy to the stage charlotte For those who don't know me, I'm Charlotte, daughter of Jimmy Hennessy, who was unlawfully killed at Hillsborough when I was just six years old
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It is an absolute honour to speak on behalf of the Hillsborough Now campaign group and welcome you all to Liverpool
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I think we can agree that this is the greatest city in the world. Our group is filled with the kindest, most empathetic, fierce, tenacious and powerful
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people all who continue to battle injustice yet through their own suffering they want to protect others and wanted to change the floor within our justice system Many call the Hillsborough law or to give it its
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official name the Public Accountability Bill a legacy for the 97 simply because the passion for
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it stemmed from the failings of South Yorkshire Police Force, the cover-up that followed and the
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lack of accountability. Sadly, our campaign group is made up of countless people who have had similar
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experiences. Orgreave, lab rats, the Shrewsbury 24, infected blood scandal, post office scandal
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the Birmingham 21, Grenfell, all the Covid bereaved, truth about Zane, people who have died in police
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custody, mental health settings and learning disability settings and their families are left
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with no transparency, no truth, just cover-ups and a system that closes ranks and protects those
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who we should trust. Ordinary people that are thrown into an alien system designed to shield
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and the state from scrutiny and accountability. If these victims, these good people
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had not have stood up for themselves, nobody else would have. None of our members asked to be in this position
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and there have been many a time when each and every one of us have wanted to give up
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But even storms make trees grow deeper roots. We never thought that we would get here
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and the journey to the hills below wasn't easy. but we stood firm, we stood on our morals and we were heard
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The Prime Minister made a promise and he is fulfilling it The Hillsborough Law in its entirety When at number 10 I told the Prime Minister
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don't let this public accountability bill be watered down now. Our members have been through enough
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And he looked me in my eyes and said it doesn't need watering down Charlotte
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I hope that message runs clear to all those who fear the truth
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and still continue to oppose this law. Our input hasn't ended just because it started its journey through Parliament
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We will be watching, we will be listening and we will continue to follow its progress until it is passed in its entirety
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No more fighting the state alone with no money for legal representation
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no more cover-ups, no more protecting those who abuse their position of power
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And for those who choose to ignore this legislation, you will face criminal charges and you will go to prison
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In 2022, Keir Starmer pledged, if elected to government, the Labour Party would introduce the Hillsborough Law
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here on this stage last year on the 24th of September 2024
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on what should have been my dad's 65th birthday he pledged it again as Prime Minister
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I was invited to those conferences and I refused to attend and after a frank and honest conversation with the Prime Minister
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I shared my reasons why. But I also shared why this year is different
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And I said that I wanted to come and tell people about what we have achieved
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And the Prime Minister said, OK, let's do it then. Well, this was a little bit extreme, Kim
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