Hillsborough law symbolises new era as power passes from Starmer to Burnham

Andy Burnham speaks during the debate on the public office (accountability) bill, known as the Hillsborough law, in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Photograph: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham speaks during the debate on the public office (accountability) bill, known as the Hillsborough law, in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Photograph: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Analysis Hillsborough law symbolises new era as power passes from Starmer to Burnham Pippa Crerar Political editor Bill marks a full-circle moment for the PM-in-waiting and encapsulates what he says his government will be about Andy Burnham has always said he took his first steps out of Westminster in 2009, when he walked out to address furious Liverpool fans at the Kop on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster . They chanted “Justice for the 96” for a full two minutes before the then culture secretary was able to continue, demonstrating their anger that nobody in public office had been convicted of any offence over the tragedy. It took him another eight years to step down as an MP in 2017, but just before he did, he introduced a private member’s bill seeking to establish a legal duty of candour for public officials and prevent institutional cover-ups. It fell away when Theresa May called an election. To have finally delivered the Hillsborough legislation as he took his first steps back into Westminster as prime minister all these years later would have been a deeply symbolic, and something of a redemptive, moment for Burnham. That it was Keir Starmer who stood at the dispatch box in the Commons on Monday night, before MPs approved his version of the long-delayed Hillsborough law, has denied him this. But such is the depth of feeling within the Labour party over this particular piece of legislation that Burnham’s decision to give his first speech since returning to parliament during the debate, even telling the prime minister that this “truly is your legacy”, also turned the moment into the opening salvo of this new era. View image in fullscreen Burnham speaks on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium, 15 April 2009. Photograph: Reuters/Alamy While the Hillsborough law represented a symbolic handover of power from Starmer to Burnham, the actual shift has been taking place since the former Greater Manchester mayor’s victory in the Makerfield byelection, prompting Starmer to finally see the writing on the wall and announce he would step down. Since then, however, the outgoing prime minister has been seized with a new energy to get things done, leaving some of his MPs scratching their heads as to why he had taken so long to govern more assertively. If he had managed to do so a bit earlier, some speculated, his fate could have been very different. Even in the days before Burnham had returned to parliament, Starmer was securing his legacy, announcing the social media ban for under-16s . In th