Transforming the Face of British Justice
The long-awaited ‘Hillsborough Law’, The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, which forces public officials to cooperate and tell the truth during investigations into major disasters, was introduced in the Commons on Tuesday 16th September 2025 to begin its journey towards being written into the statute books. It mandates that public authorities and officials must act with openness, honesty and transparency regarding their actions, decisions and any failings. It also provides legal funding for those affected by disasters related to state-run operations.
The new act it is hoped will “end the culture of cover-ups” and ensure lessons are learnt from such disasters as Hillsborough, Grenfell Tower, the infected blood scandal and the post office Horizon debacle. It has even been described as “a ground-breaking bill which will make Britain a more truthful and just nation.”
This is great news, however what does it say about the present system of delivering public services and does it mean that government condones dishonesty, obfuscation and lying by public officials at other times?
Surely a duty of candour applies to anyone who is seeking a public role or has taken up public office, and to those working in or serving the public sector locally and nationally. Trust in politics is at an all-time low with many people, other than those committed to a political party or ideal, either shunning anything political or in a dilemma as to who to vote for. Lord Evans in his 2020 speech states “Research carried out by my committee from 2002 to 2014 revealed that the British public perceived standards in public life as low and declining. The recent sackings of Angela Raynor and Lord Mandelson, the corona virus procurement scandal and the Horizon post office scandals, among many others, together with the political swing towards Reform UK suggest things are not improving.
Everyday ordinary people interact with those in public service or are affected by their decisions, but in all too many instances they come away frustrated because of obfuscation, distortion of facts, downright mistruths or incompetence.
Locally we only need to reflect upon the closure of the Evington GP branch surgery, the post office and the pharmacy to understand the relevance.
One might argue that we already have the Nolan Principles, introduced in 1995 and designed to ensure that public servants act in the public interest and maintain high standards of conduct. But these are simply enshrined in codes of conduct, and many would argue that they are unenforceable and have not prevented cover ups and misuse of public office from occurring.
In addition, Lord Evans, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, giving the Hugh Kay Lecture at the Institute of Business Ethics (2020, Committee on Standards in Public Life), although concluding that the Nolan Principles are still relevant states “The post-Nolan accusation is that our public culture is changing for the worse. Quite simply, the perception is taking root that too many in public life, including some in our political leadership, are choosing to disregard the norms of ethics and propriety that have explicitly governed public life for the last 25 years, and that, when contraventions of ethical standards occur, nothing happens.”
The Nolan standards although still relevant and having sparked the spin-off of several parliamentary reforms regarding the conduct of MPs, are largely contained in codes of conduct or set out in an organisations policies. Its enforceability is often weak and is largely dependent upon individuals taking them seriously and incorporating them into work life. All too often it is those at the top who circumvent them, those who should lead by example but take action to protect themselves and their organisations or conduct themselves in a way that has personal benefit.
Surely then given the recognition by Government that in the case of inquiries there is a need to pass a specific law to require candour in public office, it is time to address this fundamental flaw across the board given the low bar of ethical, moral and competence standards this suggests our public bodies adhere to today. These bodies such as the police, Integrated Care Boards, Hospital Trusts, probation and prison services and city, county and district councils serve the public continuously and it should not be a matter of chance that they and their officers act with integrity and candour.
