April marks 36 years since the Hillsborough disaster. Where is the law Labour promised?

Dear readers — a warm welcome to your Monday briefing. We’ve got a jam-packed edition for you today, featuring a rather exciting Latin festival coming to town, an update on Operation Aloft, and our big story: the Hillsborough families who are still waiting to see justice. 

Catch up and coming up:

• Why not use your Monday afternoon to reminisce about the days of Liverpool’s favourite cafes, arctic rolls and Mellow Birds coffee with this lovely piece from Melissa Blease? As one of you said in the comments: “The world is not a better place without Sayers, and don't get me started on Satterthwaites…”

Arctic rolls and armadillos: the cafés of yesteryear

Melissa Blease on the Kardomah, Café Tabac, the Lyceum Café, and more lost havens

The PostMelissa Blease

• Also from last week, Abi followed up on Jack’s landmark investigation on the Eldonian Village, and she uncovered much more strange goings-on: MMA fighters, a parade of police officers and mysterious loans that could leave a charity fighting for survival. Read it all below.

The land has been flogged. The coffers are dry. And now the UK’s scariest debt collector has shown up

The Eldonian Village attempts to bring itself back from the brink

The PostAbi Whistance

• And if you missed Laurence’s weekend long read about Everton’s new stadium, you’re missing out. It got plenty of love in the comments section — go ahead and join in. 

Hello, Bramley-Moore Dock

Everton’s new stadium may be the biggest new building since Liverpool’s imperial heyday. Will it be asset or albatross?

The PostLaurence Thompson

• Coming up, we’ve got a wonderful interview with fashion designer and Liverpool John Moores professor Andrew Ibi, as well as a political deep dive into the rise of Reform on Merseyside. Make sure you’re subscribed to catch both of those and more in your inbox.

Open newsroom:

• Laurence is currently working on a story about nightmare Airbnb neighbours. Do you live near a property that’s being rented out for short term lettings? Please get in touch: laurence@livpost.co.uk. 
• Are you an employee or former employee of Labour North West? Abi is working on a story and would love to speak with you. Email her at abi@livpost.co.uk. 
• And a regular reminder that we’re always looking for story ideas and tips about any and all things Merseyside – reach out to editor@livpost.co.uk anytime. 

The big story: “Nobody after losing a loved one should have to wait 24 years to hear the truth”

Top line: A watchdog has upheld complaints against South Yorkshire Police. But are Hillsborough campaigners any closer to justice?

The cancelled meeting: Last year, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer promised at the Labour conference in Liverpool that a new Hillsborough law will be introduced before the next anniversary of the disaster that unfolded on 15^th April 1989, when 97 Liverpool fans were fatally injured while attending a football match against Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough stadium. The legislation would introduce a “duty of candour” to public bodies, with any official or authority that misleads or obstructs investigations liable for criminal sanctions. It would also include a provision of legal funding for ordinary people, bringing them up to parity if forced to take on large institutions.

This followed a promise Starmer made two years before becoming prime minister: “A law for Liverpool. A law for the 97,” the Labour Party leader said in 2022. “A law that people should never have needed to fight so hard to get. But that will be delivered by this Labour government.”

But the prime minister doesn't necessarily have a good record when it comes to keeping promises on this issue. Starmer told a Liverpool audience that he would boycott the Sun when running for party leader in 2020 – but just two years later, he found himself confronted in the city for penning op-eds in that newspaper’s pages. Then, in 2024, Labour Riverside MP Kim Johnson criticised the prime minister for paying the Sun to run a pro-Labour advert on its home page.

That brings us up to last week, when Starmer reportedly cancelled a meeting with the Hillsborough families, leading to increased speculation over the government's position. The purpose of the meeting was to address worries that the Hillsborough Law bill has been watered down and will not offer the protections the families have long campaigned for to prevent others suffering as they have.

Context: The treatment of the dead, survivors, and their families in the wake of the disaster has left deep wounds in the city’s psyche, forever altering its relationship with authority, media, and political life.

The Sun’s infamous publication of police lies – that Liverpool fans stole from the dead and dying and urinated on “brave cops” trying to help – is still a source of trauma for many, and a city-wide boycott on the paper remains in place today. (It’s sometimes forgotten that the Daily Star, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express, the Evening Standard and even the Liverpool Daily Post also all published pieces directing ire or blame towards Liverpool supporters.)

In 1991, Dr Stefan Popper, the coroner at the original inquest, refused to hear any evidence relating to deaths beyond 15:15 on the day of the match as he believed all victims had died, or suffered fatal injuries, by then. The deaths were ruled accidental. But many families of the dead campaigning for justice refused to accept this. They continued to press the issue, come what may.

Finally, in 2016 – 27 years after the catastrophe itself – a jury found that 96 fans had been unlawfully killed. (A 97^th, Andrew Devine, had suffered irreversible brain injuries and died in 2021; a coroner ruled that he, too, had been unlawfully killed at Hillsborough.)

The 2016 inquest found that match commander chief superintendent David Duckenfield of South Yorkshire Police (SYP) was "responsible for manslaughter by gross negligence" due to a breach of his duty of care. In addition, SYP delayed declaring a major incident, meaning the emergency response was slow, and mistakes in the police control box and failures by commanding officers caused a crush on the terraces. Then prime minister David Cameron had to concede that fans on the day of the catastrophe were "utterly blameless". For his part, Duckenfield admitted that he had lied to Graham Kelly, then secretary of the Football Association, when blaming Liverpool fans. SYP’s Chief Constable David Crompton said the police would "unequivocally accept" the findings.

In 2021, West Midlands police – who investigated the disaster – and SYP agreed to pay damages to more than 600 people following a civil claim, to bereaved families and survivors for the injuries they have suffered and to fund further psychiatric treatment. SYP offered an "unreserved apology" to those affected.

To this day, however, nobody has ever been jailed in relation to the Hillsborough disaster.

The latest: With Starmer’s self-imposed 15^th April deadline approaching, Jenni Hicks – whose daughters Sarah, 19, and Victoria, 15, were victims of the disaster – told the BBC: “I'd rather wait a little bit longer and have a proper and appropriate Hillsborough Law, with a duty of candour that's strong enough, rather than him just trying to keep his promise with a diluted version.” 

Meanwhile, last week, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) sent outcome letters to the families of those who lost their lives. The letters confirm steps the body took to investigate complaints or the conduct of former officers, who "fundamentally failed" in planning and policing the match. In total, 354 complaints and conduct matters were investigated; just over half of complainants were informed that at least one of their complaints has been upheld or, in the IOPC's opinion, there would have been a case to answer had officers still been serving.

But earlier this month, the IOPC informed families and other complainants that although the watchdog found officers tried to “deflect blame”, the IOPC had concluded they do not have a misconduct case to answer.

Bottom line: "Nobody after losing a loved one should have to wait 24 years to hear the truth of how they died," Jenni Hicks told Radio Merseyside last week. That’s how long it took for evidence to be submitted to the Hillsborough Independent Panel, plus a further two years for the panel to publish its findings. Sometimes, the campaign has seemed an infinite and Sisyphean labour, and those involved deserve equally endless praise not just for preserving, but for refusing to succumb to cynicism. At the same time, it’s easy to see why institutions and politicians are treated with suspicion when supposedly iron-clad promises are delayed or watered down. The victories the Hillsborough survivors and families have won so far are substantial, especially after a time when the media, judicial, and political establishments — not to mention public opinion beyond Merseyside — must have seemed aligned against them. It’s well past time that they were at least afforded transparency and sincerity. 

Photo of the week

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Five years after their initial arrest, former mayor Joe Anderson, ex-head of regeneration Nick Kavanagh, former deputy council leader Derek Hatton and nine others appeared in court in relation to Operation Aloft. Charged with bribery and misconduct relating to council contracts, Joe Anderson entered not guilty pleas, adding he looked forward to the opportunity to "clear my name". Derek Hatton also pled not guilty to charges of bribery and procuring misconduct in a public office, as did his wife Sonjia Hatton — who is charged with misconduct in a public office. Julian Flanagan and Paul Flanagan from construction firm the Flanagan Group were also both charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, but entered no pleas. All 12 defendants are expected to appear again in court on 25th April, and have been granted unconditional bail.

Those of you who read Abi’s piece on the stillborn babies buried in mass graves across Merseyside for decades will remember Bernie Stanton, one of the women in search of her sibling who died at birth 67 years ago. After finding her older sister’s birth records earlier this year, she travelled from Ireland to Liverpool recently to visit her grave. “Now at least there is acknowledgement that she's buried there and we know we can go and visit more often,” she told the BBC, “but it's a pity that it's taken over 60 years to find her." Speaking to The Post last month, she explained that her mother never spoke about the death of her older sister, but it was clear it affected her deeply. She explained that when she was pregnant with her own child, her mother refused to allow her to buy anything until the child was born. “I could buy a few vests for the child, but I couldn’t buy any pram or anything like that,” she explains — her mother wouldn’t allow it, just in case the unthinkable happened again.

And football fans have raised concerns about the weight capacity of Bascule Bridge, after this month’s Everton test match saw 25,000 supporters trek over the bridge in one day. After the match a fortnight ago, fans took to social media to complain about the system in place for crossing the bridge, which is required to access Everton’s Bramley-Moore Dock stadium. A stop-go system had been implemented to stop the maximum weight the bridge can hold from being exceeded, with some describing it as “farcical”. However, Peel Waters, who own the bridge, have moved to quell fears — explaining an assessment has been carried out and it "complies with the normal highways HGV tonnage." Laurence wrote a brilliant piece about Everton’s new stadium over the weekend, perhaps the biggest project built in Liverpool since it was the "second city of empire" — read that here.

Post Picks

📽️On Friday DoEs Liverpool hosts another film night — this time showing Kenneth Anger’s Lucifer Rising, as well as experimental short films from around the world. Doors open at 7.30pm — more details here.

💃Also on Friday is Latino Fest at Arts Club. Enjoy two rooms of Latin music, from reggaeton to Latin pop and salsa, from 11pm to 3am. Tickets available here.

🎨On Saturday, head down to Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral for the Craft and Flea Makers Market, a vibrant gathering of talented local artisans and crafters. Tickets are £3 entry, with free entry for under 12s. Find out more here.

🍹Or, why not try an award-winning gin and cultural tour of some of the coolest bars and secret drinking dens in town? The tour starts at 1.30pm on Saturday at Buyers Club — find out more here.

Recommended reads 

For more on Hillsborough, we recommend revisiting this New Yorker deep dive into how the tragedy forever changed English football culture.