Responding to a report in The Times that the government is willing to give way on initial plans for security chiefs to be able to block spies from giving evidence to public inquiries, the Society’s Chief Executive Dawn Alford said that the reversal was a victory for openness and transparency.
She said: “The news that the government is planning to scrap proposals for spy chiefs to fall outside the remit of the Hillsborough Law is a major victory for transparency and openness.
“The whole purpose of the law is to create a “duty of candour” for public authorities to tell the truth and co-operate fully with public inquiries so it is essential that the security services are treated no differently to any other public body in the eyes of the law.”
The Hillsborough Law was first promised by Sir Keir Starmer when he was leader of the opposition in 2022, but the government has faced growing criticism from families over the delay to the legislation. Under previous proposals, intelligence services chiefs would be able to block officers from giving evidence based on national security concerns whereas new plans will require the security services to make a court application in order to be exempt.
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