[Falkirk, 20.11.2025] Falkirk MP Euan Stainbank and 8 other Scottish Labour MP’s have written to First Minister John Swinney to urge the Scottish Government to ensure that families in Scotland have equal access to justice under the forthcoming Public Office (Accountability) Bill — known as the Hillsborough Law.
The MPs welcomed the Scottish Government’s decision to work with the UK Government to extend the Bill’s provisions across the UK but expressed concern that, unlike in England and Wales, the Scottish Government have not yet confirmed they will receive non-means-tested legal aid at inquiries where a public authority is an interested party.
They warn that failure to match the provision would create a gap in access to justice for bereaved Scots, contradicting the principle of accountability that the Hillsborough Law seeks to enshrine.
This means that Scots looking to access justice in a conflict against the state could be left without non-means tested legal aid on the same terms as that which will be accessed by those elsewhere in the UK.
Mr Stainbank said:
“The Hillsborough Law represents a long-overdue step towards truth and justice for families failed by public authorities. It’s about ensuring ordinary people are not left to fight the system alone.
“It would be completely unacceptable if Scottish families were denied the same legal support as those in England and Wales. I urge the First Minister to confirm unambiguously that the Scottish Government will provide parity on non-means-tested legal aid in Scotland so that no bereaved family in Scotland is left behind.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
- The MPs that have signed the letter are:
- Douglas McAllister MP, Member of Parliament for West Dumbartonshire
- Euan Stainbank MP, Member of Parliament for Falkirk
- Irene Cambell MP, Member of Parliament for North Ayrshire and Arran
- Graeme Downie MP, Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and Dollar
- Scott Arthur MP, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West
- Tracy Gilbert MP, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith
- Lillian Jones MP, Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudon
- John Grady MP, Member of Parliament for Glasgow East
- Martin Rhodes MP, Member of Parliament for Glasgow North
- The letter from Scottish Labour MPs to First Minister John Swinney is available here.
- Euan Stainbank MP has raised the issue of equal access to justice under Hillsborough Law in Scotland in the UK Parliament — full recording available here.
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