Hillsborough Law exhibition goes on display

An exhibition has opened in Liverpool to tell the story of how campaigners battled to create a new law which will force public bodies to co-operate with future inquiries.

Candour and Communities aims to engage the public about the benefits of new legislation - dubbed the Hillsborough Law - which would also compel staff to tell the truth.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had promised to pass the legislation by 15 April 2025, but the Public Office (Accountability) Bill has faced a number of delays.

Sue Roberts, whose brother Graham was one of 97 fans fatally injured at Hillsborough in 1989, said the exhibition at Liverpool's Anfield stadium was about helping people understand the need for the law.

"If you've never been involved in an injustice, you're probably thinking 'What's the need? [for a Hillsborough Law]'," she said.

"Well there is a need, and if a tragedy happens again, we don't want people to suffer the way we did."

Candour and Communities has been put together by the University of Liverpool and the Centre for People's Justice, with the support of Hillsborough victims and their families.

Margaret Aspinall, whose 18 year old son James died at Hillsborough, said the exhibition also highlighted a number of national "scandals".

"The truth costs nothing. But cover-ups and lies have cost this country too much money. Enough is enough," she said.

"What spurs me on now is when I hear other families who are going through [what we did] - Grenfell, the contaminated blood scandal, the nuclear test veterans, the Post Office scandal - it's still going on and it's got to stop."

Charlotte Hennessey, whose father Jimmy died in the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium, said the exhibition was a way of representing all those who have suffered injustice.

"We will be present every day of the exhibition to answer questions and discuss current progress and the story of Hillsborough," she said.

"This is a community. This is the history of the club. This is our lives and what we've fought for. And how we've ended up here today does need to be told and the next generations do need to be educated."

Steve Kelly, whose brother Michael died at Hillsborough, said he wanted to ensure the families' fight would continue.

"This exhibition is for the future – to help children realise what went on in 1989," he said.

"So children can come here and learn and hopefully they will keep the message going in the future when we're no longer here, because we are now an aging campaign."

Peter Scarfe, chair of the Hillsborough Survivors' Support Alliance said:

"We need a full duty of candour, the full Hillsborough Law."

The exhibition is on display at The Kop Bar at Anfield until 10 April and will tour a number of venues across the country throughout 2026.

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