With inquests often the largest legal spend, the “parity of arms” provision in this Bill could have big cost implications for health and care, especially in the current climate of costs pressures – but will the Bill be ratified?
What is the Bill?
“Hillsborough Law” is the commonly used name for the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, introduced by the government to create a statutory duty of candour and assistance on public authorities and officials and – the key issue for the health and care sector – to provide parity of representation for bereaved families at inquests.
Progress of the Bill through parliament
- The new Labour government pledged to introduce Hillsborough Law in the King’s Speech: July 2024
- Introduced in the House of Commons: 16 September 2025
- Second Reading (Commons): 3 November 2025 – passed with broad cross‑party support
- Public Bill Committee stage: Completed in late 2025, with an amended Bill published on 4 December 2025
- Government amendments were introduced in January 2026 to “rebalance” candour against national security concerns
- Bill removed from Commons agenda in mid- January 2026
- The Report Stage and Third Reading in the Commons have been postponed indefinitely
Why has the Bill stalled?
The delays centre on disagreements over how the duty of candour and assistance should apply to intelligence services such as MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. The bill originally excluded the intelligence services from the full duty of candour but campaigners argued this would undermine its purpose. The Government made amendments to “get the right balance between transparency and national security” but these were criticised by campaigners as being insufficient.
As a result, the Government withdrew the controversial clause(s), the Bill was removed from the Commons agenda in mid‑January 2026 and parliamentary progress was paused to allow further redrafting.
No new date has been scheduled for the Bill to resume its Commons stages as of early April 2026 but the Ministry of Justice continues to publish and update supporting materials (fact sheets, impact assessments), the most recent updated being 16 March 2026 - Public Office (Accountability) Bill 2024-26: Progress of the bill - House of Commons Library
What does this mean for the health and care sector?
- No legal changes are in force
- Existing duties (e.g. NHS statutory duty of candour, Regulation 20) remain unchanged
- Public bodies, including NHS organisations, should not yet plan on Hillsborough Law compliance timelines
What next?
The Bill is, however, likely to be seen as a direction-of-travel signal for governance, ethics and inquiry conduct. For the Bill to proceed, the government will have to tread the very find line of reconciling demands for transparency with national security alongside the risk of being accused of repeating historical missteps and delays, weakening political momentum and public confidence.
Find our other updates on Hillsborough Law below.
