Families affected by the tragic Manchester Arena terror attack are pushing for MI5 to be fully encompassed within a proposed “Hillsborough Law” to prevent future cover-ups. They question the reliability of MI5 in a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, citing the agency’s failure to provide accurate intelligence on the suicide bomber responsible for the attack in 2017.
The “Hillsborough Law,” inspired by the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, is progressing through Parliament. It aims to mandate honesty from public officials during investigations, especially in major tragedies where false narratives were spread, as seen in the Hillsborough incident.
According to Barrister Pete Weatherby KC, who leads the Hillsborough Law Now campaign, negotiations with the government have revealed discrepancies in the application of the law to intelligence services. The families of victims from both the Hillsborough disaster and the Manchester Arena attack are urging for full accountability from MI5, MI6, and GCHQ under the new legislation.
The families stress the importance of holding security and intelligence agencies to the same standards as everyone else, emphasizing the need for transparency and truthfulness. Claire Booth, a survivor of the Manchester Arena bombing, expressed frustration with MI5’s lack of candor post-attack, describing it as adding insult to injury for the affected families.