Granada Debate: Why are we still waiting for Hillsborough Law despite political pledges?

• Catch-up on ITV Granada's monthly political programme - The Granada Debate

It is "deeply frustrating" that the government has not yet brought legislation for Hillsborough Law forward, an MP has said.

Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of Hillsborough disaster at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989.

January saw a landmark moment for the bereaved families - as police forces across the country finally said sorry for what they called the "profound failings" that led to the 97 deaths.

The apology was the police's official response to a report by the Right Rev James Jones, who set out 25 recommendations in The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power, published in November 2017.

But five years later, the government has yet to comment on its findings, but says it will publish its official response in the spring.

It has reignited calls for a major change in the justice system, to protect people caught up in disasters where the state is involved.

To combat that, a Merseyside MP is attempting to get one aspect of the Hillsborough Law - a Public Advocate - through parliament, but it has so far failed to make it into legislation.

Why does the so-called Hillsborough Law matters so much to the families left living with their loss?

Bill Esterson, Labour's MP for Sefton Central, said his party would introduce the Hillsborough Law and other recommendations if they were in power.

"It goes back many years," he said. "We heard the range of different scandals that have happened, the blood contamination scandal, Grenfell, and of course Hillsborough.

"It is a culture in the way public organisation, and private organisations, operate and I think the Hillsborough Law is an opportunity to really see a sea change in the way people are treated and that our public services operate and that they are on the side of the public as the public expects them to be."

He added: "I've got to know a number of the Hillsborough families over the years.

"You can't imagine what it must have been like to discover, to have the dreadful feeling that your loved one having died, that the state was actually actively trying to cover it up, and mislead, and undermine, and deny justice for the loss of your loved one.

"This just cannot be allowed to happen."

Mr Esterson was speaking as part of ITV Granada's monthly political programme the Granada Debate, and added that he was 'deeply frustrated'.

He said: "I have to say that it is deeply frustrating that the Government hasn't brought forward legislation for the Hillsborough Law.

"We will do it in Government, I hope that this Government gets on with it in its remaining time, however long that may be."

He was joined on the programme by Katherine Fletcher, Conservative MP for South Ribble in Lancashire.

She urged the government to "come forward rapidly" and said there were strong reasons to do so, but it had to be done right.

"I think it deserves a fundamental examination," she said. "I'm not going to start pushing civil servants around.

"I remember the shock the fear the horror there is nobody in our communities in the North West who hasn't been personally touched by Hillsborough.

"I want the government to come forward rapidly, I know they are working on doing so, but I think, especially around the public advocate there are really strong reasons to suggest, why this is important."

"I think it is important in coming back in the response that they get it right so that it's for the appropriate scale of tragedies rather than inquests that happen on individual tragedies day-to-day, I'm sympathetic to making sure we get that balance right but I would like to see make sure the families aren't left on their own."

When asked if Hillsborough Law was likely to make it into legislation in 2023, the Conservative MP responded: "I have no idea!"

She added: "It's with the government business bills managers. I know we're committed to it, I've checked up on it, but I don't think we should rush it because rushing it has not solved the problems in the past.

"This is 30 years let's do it once and do it right and make sure that should a similar tragedy happen in the future we're all protected.

"But I do agree with Bill, it should be a human response to tell the truth in these environments."

The pair disagreed on the progress of Maria Eagle's Private Member's Bill, the Public Advocate Bill.

Mr Esterson said: "I completely accept that there are Member of Parliament on all sides who support this but what I find very difficult is that Maria Eagle, my colleague in Liverpool, has put forward the Public Advocate Bill 12 times in the House of Commons and on each of those 12 occasions it's been objected to and hasn't been allowed to go forward."

Ms Fletcher responded: "Government brings bills forward, and whilst it is an important awareness-raising area it is unlikely that the opposition will get bills through.

"So the idea that it has been rejected is amongst a whole host of other things, I think the right process here is we've got the report, we're doing the consultation, and we're going to do it properly because this is a tragedy for the ages and it deserves the right answer."