Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, writing for The Mirror, says Monday is the ‘first step’ to making the British state accountable after failing families for too long
David Lammy has called on MPs to not water down the Hillsborough Law(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Far too often in recent decades, working people have gone through extraordinary pain because the state has failed them.
Today we are taking the first steps to make the British state accountable to, and in the service of, working people. The Hillsborough families who were told that their loved ones were to blame for their own deaths.
People who were infected by blood they were told was safe. The sub-postmasters who knew they were right even when the system said they were wrong.
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The long-awaited Hillsborough Law will be debated in the Commons on Monday(Image: Getty Images)
The Grenfell Tower residents who were ignored and told their home was safe. The great Windrush generation who gave so much to this country and took so little, but were treated like they never belonged.
They all did the same brave thing: they kept going. They wrote letters, held vigils, faced cameras, showed up to hearings, comforted strangers. They fought for justice that never should have been denied to them in the first place.
Their asks were simple: tell the truth, take responsibility, and give grieving families the dignity they deserve. Today, MPs will debate the Hillsborough Law in Parliament for the very first time. We will make sure we deliver on all three promises.
For all those who devoted their lives to fight for the truth, the Bill must remain in its current, strong form. It must remain a fitting tribute the families who have a fought for this for decades.
I’m particularly proud that it will bring forward the largest expansion of legal aid in a decade – so that any family facing the might of the state will no longer have to beg and borrow to afford a lawyer. This will end the “David and Goliath” legal showdowns and ensure vulnerable victims are supported to get justice.
The Hillsborough Law honours the families and victims of too many tragedies, who have turned grief into service for others. I want to thank them for their dedication, selflessness, and courage.
Without them, we would have never had got to this point. This law will be their legacy. While we cannot undo the pain for the families, we will say ‘never again’ and ensure that injustice has no place to hide.
Today, MPs can begin that change. But we must ensure this Bill isn’t watered down. And we must get it into law as quickly as possible. Because victims shouldn’t have to fight for justice.
When the truth is on their side, justice should surely follow.
