Hillsborough Law - denial is in the MoD’s DNA says Hilary Meredith-Beckham

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill 2025, better known as ‘Hillsborough Law’, will bring the largest expansion in legal aid for a decade, providing non-means-tested legal help and representation for families at inquests. There will also be a new duty on public authorities to ensure any spend on legal advice and representation at inquests is necessary and proportionate.

The Bill places a legal duty of candour on public officials and authorities, enforced by criminal sanctions. It also provides for a duty to assist, again backed by criminal sanctions.

Hilary Meredith-Beckham has spent decades acting for service personnel, veterans and their families.  Commenting on the Bill and its impact on the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Hilary said:

“For 37 years I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of families being misled by the MoD, over the deaths of their loved ones.

“I have dealt with thousands of cases and in not one single case have I been told the correct version of events from day one.

“I have literally spent what feels like a lifetime investigating these cases. 

“At the end of the day, the MoD’s tactics and delays only serve to pile on the grief for families and ramp up the legal costs. And in every single case I have had to fight, against the odds, to uncover the truth.

“This has included climbing mountains to the site of an accident, obtaining information through the back door interviewing witnesses all over the world, never giving up and piecing together the giant jigsaw puzzle until the final piece slots into place and the whole shocking picture becomes apparent.

“The MoD along with other government departments has also been able to spend taxpayers’ money at will. Families of the bereaved have had no access to legal aid - instead having to rely on lawyers like me who are prepared to put their lives, businesses and homes on the line to fight the establishment. Hopefully, with Hillsborough Law, this will change and there will be a level legal playfield and no more David v Goliath.”

Despite the likely introduction of Hillsborough Law, Hilary believes the MoD will continue to rail against calls for increased transparency.

“My small firm recently won a huge legal battle for soldiers who were given the anti-malarial drug Lariam,” she continued. “Unbelievably the MoD fought this case despite having been highly criticised by the Parliamentary Select Committee hearing into Lariam in 2016. They denied liability for 9 very long years. It’s in their DNA to deny responsibility. The whole culture needs to change.”

Continued Hilary:

“The Gulf War 1 veterans have also never received an explanation into what went wrong and why so many are suffering. The official explanations are that it would cost too much of taxpayers’ money to find the cause. This makes no sense at all when the MoD routinely spends £20 million of taxpayers’ money every year to fight claims from injured service personnel, veterans and their families.

“Let’s hope the Hillsborough Law Bill is passed and it forces the MoD to work with, and not against, bereaved families. Change is long overdue.”