Key Highlights
- Central to the disagreement is how the duty of candour in the public authority (accountability) bill would apply to serving intelligence officers. The law – designed to stop official cover-ups – would mean those in public office who lie or evade would face prosecution.
- The government has agreed the law should cover the security services, but want to give agency chiefs the final say over when individual officers can give evidence, a power the families say is unacceptable and could lead to future cover-ups. On Friday, the government laid down its own amendments to the bill, which put further obligations on the security services – but still did not go far enough to gain agreement. A Labour source said there was now no option but to delay the bill until a compromise could be reached that was acceptable to the families and did not compromise national security.
- Families, along with the barrister Peter Wetherby, the architect of the law, met the ministers Alex Davies-Jones and Nick Thomas-Symonds in the Ministry of Justice on Monday, but left without agreement. Speaking at a press conference earlier on Monday, Starmer said he was determined to find a solution.
- “I care hugely that we get this right, that we right the wrongs for very many families who have been let down and ensure a better future for families,” he said.“In relation to the duty of candour, we’ve been clear that that matters.
- What we’re now trying to do is make sure we get the balance right when it comes to the application of any principle to the security and intelligence agencies.“Obviously, I have to focus on the national interest – my primary duty as prime minister, which is to keep this country safe and secure.
