In its long-delayed response to the 2017 report commissioned by the government from James Jones, the former bishop of Liverpool, the government has signed a "Hillsborough charter", that states a commitment by departments to openness and transparency after public tragedies. The call for police and public authorities to adopt a charter committing them to act in the public interest following a major incident was Jones’s central recommendation in his report. Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk announced that both the charter and the report 'will be embedded in public life'. When Jones’s report was released in 2017, bereaved families welcomed it but also called for a “Hillsborough law” to be the legacy of their campaign for justice. Ministers have rejected the law, arguing that it was covered now by the commitment to the charter.

Source: The Guardian December 07, 2023 02:36 UTC