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Public Office (Accountability) Bill

Lifecycle: Implementation Cabinet Office · Ministry of Justice · Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care Last regenerated 1 month, 3 weeks ago · 6 new events since

Summary

What this is

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill — the 'Hillsborough Law' — imposes a statutory duty of candour and assistance on public authorities and officials in their dealings with inquiries, investigations and inquests; creates a new offence of misleading the public; replaces the common law offence of misconduct in public office with statutory offences; requires public authorities to adopt codes of ethical conduct; and expands non-means-tested legal aid for bereaved families at inquests where a public authority is an interested person.

Why it matters

The Bill is the central legislative response to almost four decades of inquiry findings — Hillsborough, Daniel Morgan, Grenfell Phase 2 and Infected Blood — that institutions concealed wrongdoing, and it directly engages every public authority (NHS trusts, police forces, local government, executive agencies, schools, universities exercising public functions, and the intelligence services) with enforceable duties, personal liability and criminal sanctions.

Current status

Introduced on 16 September 2025, the Bill passed Second Reading on 3 November 2025, completed Public Bill Committee on 4 December 2025, was carried over on 27 April 2026 and is at Report Stage in the Commons with the latest Government and backbench amendment paper dated 29 April 2026; Senedd Cymru granted legislative consent on 26 March 2026.

What changed recently

  • 29 Apr 2026 — Report Stage amendment paper published: Government tables NC8 (carve-out for public records held by The National Archives), NC9 (abolition of common law misconduct in public office in Northern Ireland), and amendments 147/148 reshaping the intelligence-services regime; backbench amendments 13-18 (Luke Myer et al.) seek to extend duties to MPs and peers. →
  • 27 Apr 2026 — Carry-over motion moved by Alex Davies-Jones agreed by the Commons, allowing the Bill to continue into the next Session. →
  • 31 Mar 2026 — MoJ confirms in PQ 122930 that the duty of candour and assistance applies to universities when exercising public functions. →
  • 27 Mar 2026 — Legislative Consent Motion approved by Senedd Cymru. →
  • 19 Jan 2026 — Bill recommitted to a Committee of the whole House; Minister Davies-Jones opens substantive Government amendments on the intelligence services regime. →

Key documents

Framework

Operationalising

Implementation

Scrutiny

Evidence

Commentary

Stakeholders

Grouped by role with evidence. Long groups scroll inside their column.

Sponsoring department 2

  • Ministry of Justice → src
    Lead department; Secretary of State David Lammy is the named Bill sponsor and is tabling all Government amendments (NC8, NC9, 26-36, 147, 148, etc.) at Report Stage
  • Cabinet Office → src
    Co-sponsor of the Delegated Powers Memorandum; owns cross-Whitehall code-of-ethical-conduct compliance for the civil service

Sponsoring minister 3

  • David Lammy → src
    Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice; named sponsor of the Bill and signatory on all Government Report Stage amendments
  • Alex Davies-Jones → src
    Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice; lead Commons minister on the Bill — opened recommittal on 19 January 2026, moved the carry-over motion on 27 April 2026 and signed the introduction correspondence to the JCHR
  • Keir Starmer → src
    Prime Minister; personally opened Second Reading on 3 November 2025, framing the Bill as a response to 'Hillsborough — an injustice and a cover-up'

Shadow minister 1

  • Dr Kieran Mullan → src
    Conservative shadow justice spokesman (Bexhill and Battle); leads Opposition amendments — NC7 (regulations to define 'public interest'), 19 (Attorney General consent for clause 11 prosecutions), and 147(a) (ISC report before intelligence carve-outs commence)

Lead committee 2

  • Public Bill Committee on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill → src
    Held five sittings (27 November – 4 December 2025) chaired by Peter Dowd and Sir Roger Gale; took oral evidence from the Hillsborough families, INQUEST, JUSTICE, the Law Commission and the Independent Public Advocate
  • Joint Committee on Human Rights → src
    Conducted pre-legislative scrutiny and published 'Human rights and the proposal for a Hillsborough Law' (24 May 2024); received the Government's ECHR memorandum on 27 October 2025

Witnesses & evidence-givers 12

  • Hillsborough Law Now → src
    Lead campaign coalition; joint written evidence with INQUEST and JUSTICE (POAB07) and the named campaign in the Lord Chancellor's published meeting diary
  • INQUEST → src
    Charity on state-related deaths; oral and written evidence to PBC and to the JCHR pre-legislative inquiry; signatory of POAB07
  • JUSTICE → src
    Human rights legal charity; signatory of POAB07 written evidence with Hillsborough Law Now and INQUEST
  • Former Members of the Hillsborough Family Support Group → src
    Written evidence POAB16 from former HFSG members on the Bill's adequacy as a Hillsborough legacy
  • Pete Weatherby KC → src
    Counsel to Hillsborough families and a principal architect of the original 'Hillsborough Law' draft; named in the Lord Chancellor's published meeting diary (PQ 120546)
  • Independent Public Advocate → src
    Written evidence POAB13 on the IPA's role in the post-major-incident architecture
  • Spotlight on Corruption → src
    Written evidence POAB14 on enforcement, sanctions and intelligence-services carve-outs
  • Hacked Off → src
    Written evidence POAB15 on transparency and the misleading-the-public offence
  • Chinook Justice Campaign → src
    Written evidence POAB09 from families of those killed in the 1994 Chinook crash
  • WhistleblowersUK → src
    Supplementary written evidence POAB18 on protected disclosures and whistleblower safety
  • Dr Minh Alexander → src
    NHS whistleblower; written evidence POAB03 on the limits of the existing health-sector duty of candour
  • Centre for People's Justice → src
    Written evidence POAB06 on community-level accountability

Regulator / delivery programme 3

  • Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care → src
    Named as a thread-responsible body; engaged via PQ 123117 on whether duty of candour principles are embedded in GMC, NMC etc. fitness-to-practise decisions
  • Security Service, SIS and GCHQ (intelligence services) → src
    Subject of clause 6 carve-outs; Government amendments 26-36, 147 and 148 reshape how the duty applies to people who work for them, with the head of each service gating disclosure of 'security or intelligence information'
  • Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament → src
    Proposed oversight role under Dr Kieran Mullan's amendment 147(a) and Seamus Logan's amendment 20 — required to receive notifications or report before the intelligence carve-out can commence

Civil society 2

  • Bishop James Jones KBE → src
    Author of 'The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power' (2017) which named the duty of candour as point of learning 24 — the immediate intellectual source of the Bill
  • Hillsborough Independent Panel → src
    Original 2012 panel chaired by Bishop Jones whose report (HC 581) opened the modern case for statutory institutional candour

Commentator 12

  • Ian Byrne MP → src
    Labour, Liverpool West Derby; lead Hillsborough-families voice in the PLP, tabled the July 2025 Public Authority (Accountability) Ten Minute Rule Bill and signs most of the Liberal Democrat/cross-party Report Stage amendments (NC2, NC3, NC4, 1, 3, 4, 5, 21, 22, 23)
  • Maria Eagle MP → src
    Labour, Liverpool Garston; lead signatory on NC1 (post-legislative assessment of the duty of candour and the public advocate's role)
  • Paula Barker MP → src
    Labour, Liverpool Wavertree; co-signatory of NC1 and most Liberal Democrat-led Report Stage amendments
  • Anneliese Midgley MP → src
    Labour, Knowsley; raised candour at Cabinet Office orals and signs intelligence-services amendments 21-23
  • Jess Brown-Fuller MP → src
    Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson (Chichester); lead signatory on Liberal Democrat new clauses and amendments NC2-NC4, 1-7, 8-12 — digital records, sub-contractor scope, chief-officer personal liability, legal aid for seriously injured survivors, retrospectivity
  • Tom Morrison MP → src
    Liberal Democrat, Cheadle; co-author of Liberal Democrat amendments and lead signatory on amendment 25 (misleading-the-public offence extended to press briefings to recognised news publishers)
  • Seamus Logan MP → src
    SNP, Aberdeenshire North and Moray East; lead signatory on amendment 20 (ISC notification by head of an intelligence service where the duty would otherwise be disapplied)
  • Luke Myer MP → src
    Labour; lead signatory on amendments 13-18 to extend the duty of candour and the offence of misleading the public to MPs and peers (subject to a parliamentary-privilege carve-out)
  • Andy Slaughter MP → src
    Labour, Hammersmith and Chiswick (Chair of the Justice Committee); lead signatory on NC5 (review of an independent oversight mechanism) and NC6 (monitoring official conduct in response to inquest/inquiry recommendations)
  • Tessa Munt MP → src
    Liberal Democrat, Wells and Mendip Hills; principal Liberal Democrat co-signatory on Report Stage amendments and a regular contributor at Committee
  • Douglas McAllister MP → src
    Labour, West Dunbartonshire; spoke at Second Reading, recommittal and the carry-over debate, emphasising Scottish application of the duty
  • Justin Madders MP → src
    Labour, Ellesmere Port and Bromborough; contributed at Second Reading, recommittal and carry-over

Political commitments

What parties and ministers have promised — manifesto pledges, King's Speech announcements, ministerial statements. Each card shows what was said, by whom, and when, with a link to the original source.

  • commitment Manifesto pledge Labour · 2024 · Labour Party Manifesto 2024 — Change

    Labour 2024 manifesto pledge to legislate a Hillsborough Law including a duty of candour

    Why linked: The 2024 manifesto is the political mandate for this Bill and is repeatedly invoked by Government ministers at the despatch box (e.g. Lord Storey OQ, 24 July 2025).

    Source: Labour Party Manifesto 2024 — Change · Original ↗
  • commitment King's Speech announcement Labour · 2026 · The King's Speech 2026

    King's Speech 2026: 'My Government will introduce the Hillsborough Law to bring forward a duty of candour for public servants'

    My Government will introduce the Hillsborough Law to bring forward a duty of candour for public servants [Public Office (Accountability) Bill].

    Why linked: The 2026 King's Speech carried the Bill forward as a Programme commitment for the new Session.

    Source: The King's Speech 2026 · Original ↗
  • commitment Ministerial statement Labour · 2025 · Public Office (Accountability) Bill

    Prime Minister at Second Reading framed the Bill as righting 'Hillsborough — an injustice and a cover-up by the institutions that are supposed to protect us'

    Why linked: The Prime Minister personally opened Second Reading on 3 November 2025, signalling the Bill's political weight.

    Source: Public Office (Accountability) Bill · Original ↗
  • commitment Ministerial statement Labour · 2025 · Hillsborough Law to ensure truth never concealed by state again

    Government press notice: 'Hillsborough Law to ensure truth never concealed by state again'

    Landmark legislation a legacy for the 97 lost at Hillsborough and a tribute to the families that have fought for change.

    Why linked: Official Government framing of the Bill at introduction on 15 September 2025.

    Source: Hillsborough Law to ensure truth never concealed by state again · Original ↗

Open questions & gaps

Known gaps in the evidence base and what's still pending.

Pending in the lifecycle

  • Report Stage and Third Reading in the Commons against the 29 April 2026 amendment paper, including divisions on intelligence-services amendments 21-23, on extending the duty to MPs and peers (13-18), on retrospectivity (11, 12) and on chief-officer personal liability (5).
  • Lords consideration — the Bill has not yet been read in the Lords; Lords amendments and ping-pong are still to come.
  • Royal Assent and commencement of clauses 9, 10 and 18 (Liberal Democrat amendment 9 proposes a six-month commencement window for those clauses requiring codes or guidance).
  • Scottish and Northern Ireland legislative consent — Senedd consent received 26 March 2026; Scottish and Northern Ireland LCMs not yet on the thread despite Government extension amendments to those jurisdictions.
  • Final Government decision on whether to accept Dr Kieran Mullan's NC7 (regulations defining 'public interest' under clause 1(1)(b)).

Beyond the corpus

  • FOUND To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Secretary's objectives 2026-27, published on … · for gap: An updated Ministerial Code or Civil Service Code aligning ministerial and civi… · 29 Apr 2026
  • MISSING A Scottish Government LCM for the extension of Part 3 (misconduct in public office) and clause 11 to Scotland — Government amendments 40, 50, 51, 52-54, 65, 66 and 70 extend the Bill UK-wide; a Holyrood LCM is constitutionally expected.
  • MISSING A Northern Ireland LCM for NC9 (abolition of the NI common law offence) and Part 3 extension — Northern Ireland Assembly consent is conventionally sought for criminal-law changes in devolved areas.
  • MISSING Government response to the November 2024 DHSC findings on the existing statutory duty of candour — The findings paper has been published but the Government's substantive response is not on the thread, leaving the interface between the existing CQC-enforced duty and the Bill's wider duty unresolved.

Confidence gaps

  • The legal effect of Government amendments 147 and 148 on judicial review of an intelligence-service head's refusal of consent — JUSTICE/INQUEST and Spotlight on Corruption written evidence flag concerns but the Government's published reasoning relies on the new 'common law PII unaffected' clarifier.
  • Whether the duty of candour extends to outsourced contractors as Liberal Democrat amendment 4 (sub-contractors in any chain of provision) proposes, given that clause 4 already brings in bodies with 'relevant public responsibility'.
  • Whether universities and further-education bodies fall within scope by virtue of the 'public functions' test (PQ 122930 says yes; the Bill itself uses the Government's school/FE corporate governance amendment 38 to allocate duty between proprietor and governing body).