Keir Starmer confronted by Hillsborough survivor hours after Arne Slot called him out

Hillsborough survivor and Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne challenged Keir Starmer at PMQs over the delayed Hillsborough Law, three years after the PM's initial promise

(Image: ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA/Shutterstock)

Keir Starmer has faced questions over the long-awaited Hillsborough Law on the anniversary of the disaster which resulted in 97 deaths.

The promised legislation, intended to prevent state cover-ups, has ground to a halt amid disagreement over whether intelligence services should fall within its scope. Ian Byrne, Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, who was present at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 when the fatal crush occurred during an FA Cup semi-final, urged the Prime Minister to introduce legislation "worthy of the name". It comes after Paris Saint-Germain paid tribute at the Hillsborough memorial before Tuesday's game at Anfield..

This follows comments from current Liverpool boss Arne Slot expressing his astonishment that the law hasn't already been enacted. During a charged moment at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Byrne stated: "As the Prime Minister said, 37 days today, 97 innocent children, women and men went to a football match and were unlawfully killed at the hands of a corrupt state.

"I was at Hillsborough, and I was one of the lucky ones who survived and walked away. As parliamentary leader to the Hillsborough Law, I stand here with a huge sense of obligation to the 97.

"All the families, including my constituent Debbie Matthews (whose brother Brian died), every survivor and every victim of a state cover up..." He acknowledged reports suggesting progress had been made, but added: "We've heard this before.", reports the Mirror.

He added: "Prime Minister this is your responsibility. It is within your power to take control of this process and make good on your promise to deliver this legislation.

"So will you commit to ruling out any carve out for security services and finally delivering a full Hillsborough Law worthy of the name. Or will they be failed by the state once again?"

Arne Slot saw his side return to winning ways(Image: Getty Images)

The Bill - officially titled the Public Office (Accountability) Bill - has hit an impasse since its introduction, with disagreement centring on whether a new statutory duty of candour should extend to intelligence agencies.

Heads of the security services contend that such an obligation could jeopardise national security. The Prime Minister addressed the Commons: "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."

In the match programme for last night's Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool manager Slot penned: "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."

The Government had previously pledged to bring forward the legislation by last year's anniversary, a deadline that passed without action. However, optimism has been rekindled following weekend reports suggesting the Prime Minister is set to abandon plans for a sweeping exemption for security services from the proposed law.

Jenni Hicks - who lost her daughters Victoria, 15, and Sarah, 19 - told the BBC: "The sad thing is, we're still arguing about the Hillsborough Law, and it's still not being implemented because of the problems we're told with the security services."

Virgil van Dijk and Arne Slot visited the memorial on Wednesday(Image: LIVERPOOL FC)

Sir Keir Starmer first pledged the Bill back in 2022 while serving as leader of the opposition. It has garnered backing from a coalition of survivors and families affected by a range of other tragedies, including the Manchester Arena bombing, Covid, the Grenfell fire, nuclear test veterans, the Horizon Post Office and infected blood scandals, and the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters: "As the Prime Minister said, we're taking the time to get this right, working with families and campaigners to create a bill that's testament to their decades of campaigning, whilst never compromising on national security. And as I've said earlier this week, significant progress has been made over recent weeks, working both with the families and the intelligence agencies, and we expect to bring the bill back to Parliament soon."

When pressed on whether the PM had any regrets about raising the families' expectations, the PM's political spokesman responded: "I mean, you heard the Prime Minister talk in the house today about the importance of this bill and how he's worked closely with the families."