Hillsborough campaign wins prestigious legal aid award

Families, lawyers and activists who have been campaigning for a 'Hillsborough law' have been honoured at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards (LALYs).

Hillsborough Law Now collected the award for ‘outstanding achievement’ during a ceremony in central London last Friday. The LALYs, organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group and now in its 24th year, celebrates the unsung heroes of the legal aid community.

Ceremony host Symeon Brown said the LALY judges wanted to recognise the ‘herculean efforts to get the Hillsborough Law Now campaign to the brink of success’.

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, also known as Hillsborough law, was introduced to parliament last year. The legislation imposes a duty of candour on public officials to act truthfully and fully support investigations into the state. Bereaved families will be entitled to non-means-test legal help and representation at inquests.

The campaign’s coordinators collected the award. Deborah Coles, executive director of Inquest, said: ‘This award is not about us. It’s about the movement that Hillsborough Law Now represents. It’s a coalition of people affected by some of the worst injustices in British history.’

Coles highlighted various tragedies during her speech, such as the Grenfell disaster and Windrush and contaminated blood scandals. ‘Some of these stories we will know but many we will not. What unites them? Ordinary people who have taken their grief, anger and experience of a cruel, defensive state to ensure families in the future do not have to experience the same lies, cover-ups and denial,’ she said.

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill 'has the potential to transform people’s experiences and create a more level playing field', Coles added. ‘We need to ensure the bill is delivered in full and those with vested interests are resisted'.

The bill has stalled over disagreement between the government and campaigners on exempting intelligence services from the duty of candour. The measure is currently awaiting its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons before moving to the Lords.