Labour MPs Call For Former Police Chief To Lose Knighthood Over Hillsborough Findings
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A group of Labour MPs has launched a campaign calling for a former police chief to be stripped of his knighthood over the findings of a new report on the Hillsborough disaster.
A long-awaited report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), published this week, said twelve officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings over their actions in the disaster if they were still serving, including former chief constable Sir Norman Bettison.
The report, which followed a 13-year independent IOPC investigation into the tragedy, described "fundamental failure" and a "concerted effort" by police to blame fans for what happened on 15 April 1989.
On that day, 97 Liverpool fans died as a result of a crush at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium.
An Early Day Motion (EDM), organised by Ian Byrne MP and seen by PoliticsHome, has urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to recommend to the King that Bettison's knighthood be rescinded to “preserve the integrity of the honours system”.
The former police chief is "unworthy to retain" the title, the motion says.
It stresses the “importance of this action to Hillsborough families and survivors, given that this action is the only remaining meaningful sanction Bettison can face, owing to his retirement from the police service in 2013, as officers who retired before 2017 cannot face charges despite IOPC conclusions".
The motion had been signed by 20 MPs at the time of writing, including Merseyside Labour backbenchers Dan Carden, Paula Barker and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell. Independent MP Diane Abbott and the Democratic Unionist Party MP Jim Shannon have also backed it.
PoliticsHome has contacted No 10 for comment.
EDMs rarely result in House of Commons debates but can raise awareness of an issue and put pressure on ministers to take action if there is significant parliamentary support.
The IOPC report follows the 2012 Hillsborough Independent Panel and the 2016 inquests, which found that Liverpool fans were not accountable for the deaths in the 1989 disaster.
IOPC Deputy Director General Kathie Cashell said: “The 97 people who were unlawfully killed, their families, survivors of the disaster and all those so deeply affected, have been repeatedly let down — before, during and after the horrific events of that day."
At Labour Party conference in September, the Prime Minister announced the introduction of a new Hillsborough Law, which legally requires public officials to act with honesty and integrity. He was joined on stage by campaigner Margaret Aspinall, whose son died in the tragedy.
