Image: The Legacy of Hillsborough panel in action at Fair Game 2026
Campaigners at the Fair Game conference said it is ‘absolutely astonishing’ that it has taken this long for the Hillsborough Law to be passed by the UK government.
On the 24th and 25th March 2026, Fair Game brought its annual conference to the National Football Museum in Manchester.
Arguably the main attraction on day one was the Hillsborough panel, chaired by former ITV football commentator Clive Tyldesley OBE and guests David Conn and Margaret Aspinall.
Conn is an investigative journalist who has been heavily involved with reporting on Hillsborough whereas Margaret is the mother of James Aspinall, one of the victims of the disaster.
The Hillsborough Law, officially known as the Public Office Bill, is a provisional law which will give public officials and authorities a legal obligation to tell the truth.
This means that breaches by officials could result in criminal sanctions.
Additionally, families affected by state-related deaths or disasters will be entitled to publicly funded legal representation.
Unfortunately for Margaret Aspinall, however, the handling of the disaster was far from adequate.
Speaking at the conference about the police after the disaster, Aspinall said: “You can’t describe the pain.
“Imagine a whole night waiting to hear if your son is safe.
“It was 6 o’clock the next morning and not one policeman came to my door and said my son had died at Hillsborough.”
David Conn has reported on the disaster and the law campaign for a number of years.
It was after an article he wrote in 2009 about the ongoing injustice was read by then culture minister and current mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
This led to the formation of the Hillsborough independent panel and significantly helped families in their fight for truth.
Speaking after the conference, Conn Said: “It should never have taken 20 years because, really, the injustice was there since the first day.”
He labelled the fact that it has taken this long for the law to being close to introduction as ‘absolutely astonishing’.
Fair Game is a non-profit organisation focused on making football fairer and inclusive for all members of society.
The aim of Fair Game is to research and develop solutions to the problems that football faces.
Greater Manchester could face significant implications once the law is introduced.
There are several large venues in the county, both sporting and other which poses a risk to potential crowd control incidents.
Manchester Arena was where the most high-profile incident occurred as a terrorist attack took place at a 2017 Ariana Grande concert. Credit Google Maps.
The infographic below gives some statistics linked to large venues in Greater Manchester.
Greater Manchester police were contacted multiple times to get their thoughts on the likely introduction of the Hillsborough law however did not respond.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had promised to have the law introduced by 15th April 2025, however one year on people are still awaiting for it to be passed.