The upcoming Public Office (Accountability) Bill 2025, better known as Hillsborough Law, has the potential to be a game-changer for families seeking justice after losing loved ones in military service.
For the first time in decades, bereaved families will be guaranteed free legal representation at inquests, without the barrier of means testing. Public authorities will also be forced to justify their legal spending, ensuring it is both necessary and proportionate.
But perhaps the most striking part of the Bill is the creation of a legal duty of candour, backed by criminal sanctions. Public officials will be legally required to tell the truth and assist investigations, rather than delay or obscure them.
For the Ministry of Defence, this could be seismic.
A Solicitor’s Warning: “This Will Shake the MoD to Its Core”
Few know the MoD’s inner workings better than Hilary Meredith-Beckham, a solicitor who has spent nearly four decades representing service personnel, veterans, and bereaved families.
Her view of the new law is stark:
“Hillsborough Law will shake the MoD to its core. For 37 years I have witnessed families being misled over the deaths of their loved ones. Not once have I been told the correct version of events from the outset.”
Hilary describes years of painstaking investigation, travelling across the globe, interviewing witnesses, and piecing together evidence families should have been given from day one.
“The MoD’s tactics only add to families’ grief and drive up costs. With no access to legal aid, bereaved families have been left to rely on lawyers willing to risk everything to fight the establishment. Hopefully, Hillsborough Law will finally level the playing field.”
The MoD’s Culture of Denial
Despite her optimism about the Bill, Hilary believes the MoD will not change overnight.
She points to her firm’s nine-year legal battle over the anti-malarial drug Lariam, where the MoD denied liability despite being heavily criticised by a Parliamentary Committee back in 2016.
“It’s in their DNA to deny responsibility. The whole culture needs to change.”
And she highlights the case of Gulf War 1 veterans, who still lack answers about their illnesses. The official explanation, that investigating would be too costly – rings hollow when the MoD spends £20 million each year fighting claims from injured service personnel, veterans, and their families.
Change Is Long Overdue
For Hilary, Hillsborough Law is about more than just legal aid, it’s about truth, accountability, and finally treating bereaved families with the respect they deserve.
“Let’s hope the Bill passes and forces the MoD to work with, and not against, families. Change is long overdue.”
