The Well Society sends its congratulations to the families of the Hillsborough victims after their courage and tenacity led to the introduction of major legislation in Westminster today.
The new Public Office (Accountability) Bill is intended to ensure authorities in England and Wales will face criminal sanctions if they attempt to cover up facts behind disasters or public scandals.
The families of the 97 Liverpool fans who died as a result of overcrowding in a section of the Leppings Lane terracing at the FA Cup semi-final in Sheffield in 1989 had to battle for decades for the truth about the disaster to become widely known and accepted. After fighting for truth and justice to get the initial inquest verdicts quashed in 2012, and waiting another four years before a jury found their loved ones were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors, the families set about ensuring that nobody else would endure cover-ups on that scale.
Motherwell were the first Scottish club to publicly back the Hillsborough Law Now campaign in February 2022, following our counterparts at Liverpool, Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tranmere Rovers in standing in solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones and then saw them blamed for the authorities’ failings.
Speaking today, Well Society chair Derek Watson said: “As the UK’s first top-flight fan-owned club, Motherwell were proud to back a campaign that was launched by families of Liverpool supporters, who have never stopped fighting for justice even when they achieved some long-awaited legal victories for themselves.
“Through their efforts and persistence, the Hillsborough Law Now campaign group have secured the introduction of landmark legislation which will have ramifications way beyond football.
“The Well Society, the fan ownership vehicle of Motherwell FC, sends our congratulations and further solidarity as they continue to campaign to ensure the Bill is not watered down during the parliamentary process.”
The Hillsborough Law Now group said in a statement:“This landmark Bill, if passed and implemented in full, will lead to massive cultural change and prevent the cover-ups and institutional defensiveness that have pervaded across so many disasters and scandals.”
Margaret Aspinall, whose 18-year-old son James died at Hillsborough, stated she was hopeful the proposed law “will mean no-one will ever have to suffer like we did”.
“I thought this is a day that was not going to happen,” she added. “This is not just about a legacy for the 97. This is a legacy for the people of this country and I think that is the most important thing.”