Political reporter

MINISTERS were accused of betraying bereaved families of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster yesterday by refusing to introduce a new law to prevent future police cover-ups.

Responding after a six-year delay to Bishop James Jones’s report into the tragedy, the government confirmed it would not introduce the “Hillsborough law” sought by families of the 97 Liverpool football fans killed at the stadium.

The law would impose a legal duty on public bodies and officials to tell the truth, which they notably didn’t in the years after the disaster — found to have been caused by police negligence.

Ministers claim that they are instead agreeing a charter directed to the same end. 

They also would not agree to another of Bishop Jones’s recommendations: to guarantee public funds in legal support for bereaved families, levelling the playing field with public authorities. Instead the government merely agreed to consult on the proposal.

Deborah Coles, director of campaign body Inquest, said the government’s failure to act was “a betrayal and insult to Hillsborough famillies and all they have fought for over more than three decades.”

She said: “Only the enactment of a Hillsborough law will ensure there is no hiding place for official wrongdoing or failure and address the power imbalance at inquests. 

“It will prevent cover-ups and enable swifter, fairer justice.”

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk conceded that the families had suffered decades of cruelty due to the “baseless allegations” made by police and parts of the media.

These were a “web of lies spread by those seeking to protect their own reputations,” he said, confirming: “The fans who attended the match on April 15 1989 bear no responsibility for the deaths that occurred.”