David Lammy told MPs yesterday that he was introducing a “groundbreaking law to ensure that victims and survivors never again have to wait decades for truth and justice”
For decades, survivors of state failure—whether Hillsborough, Grenfell, the Post Office Horizon scandal, or pension fraud—have shared a common burden: being lied to, silenced, and abandoned by the very institutions meant to protect them. Enablers in public office too often closed ranks, withheld evidence, and left ordinary citizens to fight for scraps of truth, sometimes for the rest of their lives.
The newly published Public Office (Accountability) Bill 2025, commonly called the Hillsborough Law, promises a seismic shift. If enacted, it will replace the old “misconduct in public office” offence with a clear legal duty of candour and create new criminal offences for officials who mislead the public or fail in their duty to prevent harm.
Key Protections in the Bill
- Duty of Candour: Public authorities and officials must act “with candour, transparency and frankness” when dealing with inquiries and investigations. Cover-ups, concealment, or silence will carry criminal liability.
- Offence of Misleading the Public: Officials who deliberately mislead—or act recklessly in ways that are “seriously improper”—could face up to two years in prison.
- Accountability for Harm: Holders of public office who breach their duty to prevent death or serious injury face up to 14 years in prison.
- Fairness at Inquests: Bereaved families will now be entitled to publicly funded legal representation, finally ending the grotesque imbalance where state bodies fielded top legal teams while victims faced the fight alone.
- Ethical Standards: Public authorities must adopt codes of ethical conduct built around selflessness, integrity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
Why This Matters to Get SAFE
At Get SAFE, we support survivors of financial exploitation—citizens who too often experience the same patterns of abuse seen in headline scandals. Regulators, banks, ombudsmen, and other gatekeepers have lied by omission, delayed disclosure, or denied wrongdoing, leaving victims isolated.
For our collaborators and citizen investigators, this Bill is a tool that could:
- Shift the power balance: By criminalising dishonest public office, survivors gain new leverage when enablers mislead or obstruct justice.
- Open doors for redress: A legal duty of candour strengthens the evidential base survivors need to pursue complaints, litigation, and inquiries.
- Prevent further tragedy: Too many victims, worn down by decades of cover-ups, have taken their own lives. A culture of openness could prevent future harm by ensuring truth emerges earlier.
- Legitimise citizen investigation: Get SAFE members who gather evidence and challenge official narratives now have statutory backing to demand candour and accountability.
The Shadow Side
Yet, we must be realistic. The Bill reserves sanctions for only “egregious” or “seriously improper” breaches. Being “economical with the truth” may still go unpunished. Fear of sanctions may also encourage fresh attempts at concealment. Survivors must be prepared to test and enforce this law in practice.
That’s why we need the Goliathon — our empowerment system at Get SAFE. It equips survivors and citizen investigators with the tools, training, and AI-powered support to gather evidence, expose enablers, and hold institutions to account. Where the law stops short, the Goliathon helps ordinary people stand tall against extraordinary power.
A Call to Action
For survivors, families, and our Get SAFE community, this is more than dry legislation. It is a recognition that lives have been lost because enablers lied. It is also a challenge to us: to use this new framework to push harder for truth, justice, and systemic change.
The Hillsborough families’ long struggle shows that ordinary people can force extraordinary change. Now it is up to all of us—citizen investigators, collaborators, and survivors—to ensure the promises of this Bill are made real.
Because candour is not just a legal duty. It is the line between life and death, hope and despair, justice and betrayal.
Take Back Control with the Goliathon
Tired of enablers lying, concealing evidence, and denying justice?
The Goliathon was built for you.
What it is: A powerful, AI-powered empowerment system designed by Get SAFE to help survivors and citizen investigators gather evidence, organise cases, and expose cover-ups.
Why try it:
- Equip yourself with the same tools campaigners use to hold institutions accountable
- Learn how to investigate like a pro with guided prompts and digital playbooks
- Gain confidence that you can push for truth, even where the law falls short
👉 Taster Offer: Just £2.99
Step inside the Goliathon and see for yourself how ordinary people can stand tall against extraordinary power.
About Get SAFE
Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) was born from a simple truth: too many victims of financial abuse are left to suffer in silence.
We exist for people like Ian Davis—for the ones who did everything right, only to be failed by the systems they trusted. We know that behind every vanished pension, every ignored complaint, and every stonewalled letter is a person—frightened, exhausted, and too often alone.
Get SAFE offers more than sympathy. We offer structure, support, and solidarity.
We provide a voice where there’s been silence, and clarity where there’s been confusion.
We stand beside those who have been exploited, not just to help them recover—but to help them reclaim their story and rebuild their future.
Because financial justice is not a luxury.
It’s a human right.
If you or someone you know has been affected by financial exploitation, we are here.
You are not alone.
Learn more at: Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation).
Academy of Life Planning 