Lagan Valley MP Sorcha Eastwood has welcomed the introduction of the Hillsborough Law to the UK Parliament, describing it as a significant step towards "long-overdue justice and accountability". The legislation, also known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, will include a new statutory duty of candour, requiring public officials to act with honesty and integrity. The new law will make it a criminal offence for public officials to deliberately conceal wrongdoing during official investigations, with those who breach the duty facing criminal sanctions. According to the government, the bill will also provide non-means-tested legal aid for bereaved families during inquests.

Ms Eastwood said she was proud to have played a part in holding the government to account on the issue. She was a co-sponsor of a previous backbench bill and recently tabled a parliamentary motion calling for a judge-led public inquiry into the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre. Ms Eastwood said the principles of the Hillsborough Law were crucial for other tragedies, including the Grenfell Tower fire and the UK's infected blood scandal.