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Reuters
Arne Slot said "bereaved families should not have to fight and campaign for the truth about how their loved ones lost their lives"
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has said he was "surprised" that the Hillsborough Law had not yet been passed.
Writing in the match programme for Liverpool's Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, Slot paid tribute to the victims, survivors and bereaved of the 1989 stadium disaster in which 97 fans were fatally injured.
"Since becoming head coach, I have been able to hear some of their stories and the passage of time does not make them any less moving," he wrote.
"I have also been told about the campaign for a Hillsborough Law and having listened to the reasons and knowing the story behind them, it surprises me that this is still to be introduced."
Reuters
Ninety-seven people died as a result of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989
Slot added: "This is not an opinion based on my association with Liverpool FC either.
"It is the view of someone who believes bereaved families should not have to fight and campaign for the truth about how their loved ones lost their lives, it should be provided as a matter of course."
Wednesday marks 37 years since the disaster which led to a campaign for legislation requiring public officials to tell the truth during disaster inquiries and investigations.
Labour pledged to introduce a Hillsborough Law in its 2024 manifesto, but the legislation – formally known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill – has stalled since it was introduced in September.
Last year, the government faced a row after proposing amendments that would see spies brought within the scope of the law, but only with the approval of the head of their services.
Campaigners warned this could be used as a way of escaping the new "duty of candour" and the amendments were pulled, with reports now suggesting intelligence chiefs will have to make a court application for any disclosures to be exempted.
Speaking at the start of Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer said: "Today marks 37 years since the Hillsborough disaster, when 97 men, women and children went to a football match and never returned.
"My promise remains, working with families, we will deliver a Hillsborough Law to end the injustice that they have suffered and ensure the state will always act for the people that it serves."
When asked about the bill on Monday, the prime minister reiterated his commitment to deliver on his promise.
"The duty of candour, the duty, basically, that public officials need to come forward and tell the truth – that's a really important principle that drives me.
"So, we'll keep working on this, it's important to get it right… I've made a promise and I intend to act on that promise."
