UK government expected to drop proposed intelligence-services carve-out from Hillsborough Law
The Facts
- The government is expected to scrap plans that would have given the security services a blanket exemption from the proposed Hillsborough Law.
- The Hillsborough Law would create a duty of candour requiring public authorities to tell the truth and cooperate with inquiries or investigations after disasters.
- Disagreement over how the law should apply to intelligence services delayed or stalled the bill earlier this year.
- Under the reported change, security chiefs would not be able to veto intelligence officers giving evidence.
- If national security concerns arise, security chiefs would have to apply to a court for disclosures to be partially or fully exempted.
- Concerns from Hillsborough families and some Labour MPs about ensuring intelligence services were covered contributed to the dispute over the bill.
- The law is named for the 97 football fans who died as a result of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
Context
What is the Hillsborough Law?
It is proposed legislation, also referred to in some reports as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, that would impose a duty of candour on public authorities and require truthful cooperation with inquiries and investigations after disasters BBC,Guardian,LabourList.
Why was the bill delayed?
Its progress was paused after a dispute over whether MI5, MI6 and GCHQ should be able to avoid the law's requirements, with families and some Labour MPs objecting to proposals seen as giving intelligence agencies special treatment Guardian,Mirror,LabourList.
What would change for intelligence agencies under the reported compromise?
Instead of having a blanket carve-out or a chief's veto over evidence, intelligence agencies would be covered by the law, and any request to withhold material on national security grounds would need to go to court BBC,Daily Mail,Irish News.
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