Comment: A law fifteen years in the making

This week, Parliament finally returns to a piece of legislation I've fought for since arriving in Westminster two years ago: the Hillsborough Law, the duty of candour for those in public office. Sir Keir Starmer promised this would be delivered when he stood on stage at Labour Conference with families of the Hillsborough disaster and it has taken until now, after months of delay, to reach report stage in the Commons.

As my party's Justice Spokesperson, I've carried the Liberal Democrats' response to this bill through its long journey, and I haven't been shy in criticising the government’s handling of it. At the eleventh hour before the bill was due to be debated, ministers introduced a clause exempting the security services, GCHQ, MI5 and MI6, from the duty altogether. I sat through briefings in Whitehall, meetings with ministers, letter after letter, and my answer never changed: there can be no carve-out for the intelligence community. After months of negotiation, and I suspect a quiet word from the incoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, the Government has dropped that exemption. It's a genuine step forward.

I'm proud to have supported the Hillsborough Law, which enforces a duty of candour for those in public office.

The Bill still isn't perfect. I remain concerned that people won't be able to comply with the duty without fear or favour until whistleblowers have proper protection and somewhere to turn. I'll keep pushing for that with colleagues in the Lords before Royal Assent. One amendment I'm watching closely, from my colleague Freddie Van Mierlo, would extend the duty of candour to water company bosses. Accountability and transparency in all companies that provide a public service should be a foundational principle.

This Bill is for the Hillsborough families, for those affected by the Manchester Arena attack, for the Chinook disaster families, for nuclear test veterans, and for so many others failed by the state and met with cover-ups instead of honesty. I'm proud to have played even a small part in getting it over the line.

Closer to home, I spent time in Parliament this week with Paul, one of our local Coastguard responders based at Selsey. HM Coastguard relies on more than 3,000 volunteers nationally, providing a 24-hour emergency response, yet the government has been considering stripping away the small remuneration these volunteers currently receive, on average around £11 an hour for a night-time call-out. No one becomes a coastguard for the money, but in order to plug that financial gap and support their families, we may lose experienced coastguard rescue officers from the frontline. The Liberal Democrats have led the charge against this change, and I'm pleased the government has agreed to pause the next phase of the decision.

On a happier note, I'm also delighted to be welcoming Chichester Festival Youth Theatre to Parliament this week, performing a piece on how young people feel about the climate and nature crisis, and making the case for more robust climate education in the government's curriculum review. As a Youth Theatre graduate and now a proud trustee of the theatre, I couldn't be prouder to see them take that stage in front of our country’s decision makers.