Sir Keir Starmer said the UK “stands on the precipice of change” as MPs approved the Hillsborough Law, in a bid to prevent cover-ups linked to failures of the state.

The prime minister praised campaigners for their work on the long-delayed legislation, which imposes a duty on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and co-operate with official investigations and inquiries.

Andy Burnham said the bill ensures “justice for ordinary people going forward” and is “some legacy” for Sir Keir, who he is expected to replace as PM.

It is named after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which claimed 97 lives after a crush during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

Police leaders were found to have spread false narratives about the disaster, blaming Liverpool fans, and withheld evidence of their own failings.

The legislation, formally known as Public Office (Accountability) Bill, had been delayed by wrangling over how the duty of candour applies to the intelligence services.

Ministers broke the deadlock with a series of amendments approved by MPs on Tuesday, which paved the way for it to clear the Commons. It will now be sent to the House of Lords for further scrutiny before it can become law.

The Conservatives accused Sir Keir of rushing the legislation through its final stages in the Commons following a series of late changes.

Speaking in the Commons, Sir Keir said the Hillsborough families “fought so that no family like them should ever have to endure and suffer what they went through”.

He told MPs: “What they have done will protect individuals and families that they’ll never know, they’ll never meet but who’ll never have to go through what they went through.”

Sir Keir also said: “This is not just a bill for the 97, although it is that, it is a bill for every single working person in this country because, let’s face it, there is a class element to this.

“Time and again the cry for justice was ignored by the British state because of who the victims are – because they’re working class, because they’re black, because they’re women and girls.”

He raised the work of campaigners over failings connected to other scandals, including the Grenfell Tower fire, the Manchester Arena bombings, the infected blood scandal and grooming gangs.

Speaking shortly before the bill was approved at third reading, Sir Keir said: “We stand on the precipice of change. This is a moment of real significance for our country.”

Burnham, who is on course to replace Sir Keir as prime minister on 20 July, said the “momentous” legislation will “change the way this country thinks and works about justice”.

He said: “It truly is a rewiring of the state and a passing of power from the authorities to the hands of ordinary people.

“And it is happening because of the prime minister’s commitment to a country based on justice and fairness, and we thank him for that.”

Burnham said Sir Keir has “honoured his commitment to the Hillsborough families”, adding the bill will ensure “justice for ordinary people going forward, and that is some legacy indeed”.

The legislation, which also commits to providing legal aid for victims of disasters or state-related deaths, was a pledge in Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto.

Sir Keir had promised to pass the bill by 15 April 2025, to mark the 36th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

But this deadline was missed and the government abandoned a final debate in January following a backlash from campaigners and some Labour MPs.

This came after a government amendment would have made co-operation with inquiries by intelligence officers subject to the approval of the head of their service.

Bereaved families said MI5 and MI6 officers should be fully subject to the proposed law and pointed to a series of cases where MI5 has provided false information, including the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

The government brought the bill back to the Commons on Tuesday in Sir Keir’s final days as PM after tabling amendments.

Justice Minister Catherine Atkinson said the amendments would ensure the duty of candour “applies to all individual intelligence officers while establishing secure procedures for the disclosure of sensitive information”.

Conservative shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy said he believed everyone agreed on the need for accountability but described the late introduction of the amendments as a “shambles”.

He said the government had made “contradictory promises” to the campaigners for this law and to the intelligence agencies, adding ministers “now pretend there’s no problem”.

Timothy said Sir Keir was “desperate for a legacy and to claim the credit” before Burnham takes over, adding: “The government has watered down the protections specifically proposed back in January for MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.”

After Conservative shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan further criticised the government’s handling of the bill in the last 24 hours, Sir Keir said families have waited “years too long” for the changes.

He said: “I made a promise to these families, looked them in the eye, and said I would bring this forward as soon as I could. And I’ve kept that promise.”

Downing Street said the government wants the law to be on the statute book by April next year, in time for the next anniversary.

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