Public Inquiry Reform

The Covid-19 Inquiry has revealed serious flaws in how public inquiries work. Without reform, victims of the state risk being denied truth, accountability, and meaningful change.

Why reform is needed

The Covid-19 Inquiry has exposed serious weaknesses in the way public inquiries work.

People affected by state failures should not have to fight for access to evidence, equal legal representation or a meaningful voice. Recommendations should lead to action, rather than being quietly forgotten.

We are campaigning for inquiries that deliver truth, accountability and change.

The Hillsborough Law

We are proud members of the Hillsborough Law Now coalition, working alongside Hillsborough families and other justice campaigns.

After years of campaigning by the coalition, MPs approved the Public Office (Accountability) Bill in the House of Commons on 14 July 2026. The Bill was brought to the House of Lords on 16 July 2026, where it must complete its remaining stages before it can become law.

This progress belongs to the people who refused to accept institutional cover-ups and unequal treatment by the state. But the Bill has not yet become law.

The fight now moves to the House of Lords. CBFJ will campaign hard with the Hillsborough Law Now coalition to secure the Bill’s passage without its duties, enforcement or scope being weakened.

Our work will continue after the legislation is passed. We will press for strong implementation, proper enforcement and the resources needed to ensure the law serves its purpose in practice.

A strong Hillsborough Law must:

  • Create a duty of candourPublic authorities and officials must tell the truth and proactively assist investigations and inquiries.
  • End the inequality of armsPeople affected by state-related deaths and disasters must have publicly funded legal representation.
  • Deliver real accountabilityThe duties must be enforceable and apply across the full range of public investigations.
Visit Hillsborough Law Now

National Oversight Mechanism

Too many recommendations from inquiries and inquests are ignored. Governments promise that lessons will be learned, while changes that could protect lives are delayed or abandoned.

We are campaigning for an independent National Oversight Mechanism to track recommendations, publish progress and hold public bodies to account for acting on them.

We are working alongside Grenfell United, Hillsborough families, infected blood campaigners and others to demand a system that prevents vital lessons being lost.

Reform of the Inquiries Act

We have campaigned from the beginning for inquiries that are timely, fair and genuinely independent.

People whose actions are under investigation should not have greater access, resources and influence than those harmed by the failures being examined. Core participants must be heard, evidence must be disclosed fairly and urgent lessons must be reported before further lives are put at risk.

Public inquiries must deliver answers and accountability without years of avoidable delay.