Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the Post Office scandal shows why a Hillsborough Law is so badly needed as he recommitted to the legislation on a visit to Liverpool.
Hundreds of post office operators are to have their convictions quashed by Parliament in what will be an unprecedented move after one of the biggest miscarriages of justice to ever take place in Britain.
The scandal has been thrust firmly into the public consciousness following the broadcast of the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. The series portrayed the stories of hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly prosecuted and had their lives ruined after being blamed for failures of an IT system.
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Sir Keir was asked about the scandal as he visited Alder Hey Children's Hospital this morning with his shadow health secretary Wes Streeting as part of a tour of the North West.
He was asked whether the Post Office story makes his commitment to bringing in a new Hillsborough Law all the more important as it concerns similar issues around cover ups, injustices and officials failing to tell the truth.
The Labour leader said: "We are absolutely committed to Hillsborough Law and we intend to implement that if we are privileged to come into serve. We have a number of examples of injustices, the Hillsborough injustice, the Post Office injustice and this is why a Hillsborough Law is so important.
"I think for the Post Office scandal, the immediate priority is quashing the convictions, getting the compensation to those that are entitled to it as quickly as possible."
He added: "I think the victims of the Post Office scandal have been through a huge injustice. Some have lost their lives, their livelihoods and their liberty. They have waited far too long already for truth, for justice and compensation. We will look at the proposals from the government and work to ensure they are delivered. That's the least we can do for the people who have been through this huge injustice."
A Hillsborough Law, named after the disaster which saw 97 Liverpool fans unlawfully killed, would enforce a duty of candour on public officials to tell the truth, while also ensuring victims of injustices have a parity of legal funding with public bodies and big organisations. Labour has said bringing in the full Hillsborough Law would be an early priority for the party in government.
West Derby Labour MP Ian Byrne is a key campaigner for the law. Speaking about the Post Office scandal, he said: "The Post Office scandal cover-up appears to be yet another shockingly dishonest scandal. In broad terms a duty of candour should make managers and their lawyers think twice before acting dishonestly.
"This is why we are campaigning for a full Hillsborough Law, which includes a statutory duty of candour, to compel public servants to tell the truth in order to protect ordinary members of the public. Whilst it is shocking that we need a law to ensure that public servants are honest in this country, the simple fact is that we do."
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