Public advocate for disaster victims role criticised by Hillsborough campaigners

Dominic Raab has announced ministers will set up an “independent public advocate” to support victims and families of people killed in major disasters, including by helping them to “navigate” the inquiries and inquests that follow.

The justice secretary described the proposed advocate as part of the government’s belated response to the ordeal suffered by bereaved families after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, where 97 people were killed in a crush at the FA Cup semi final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Bereaved families and survivors were forced to struggle for decades against a campaign of lies mounted by South Yorkshire police, who sought to blame those who attended the match for the disaster, rather than admit to police crowd management failures.

“We’re creating the Independent Public Advocate [IPA] so that the survivors and bereaved of a major tragedy have practical support and are given a greater voice in seeking answers for the loved ones that they have lost,” Raab said.

“The IPA will empower the victims throughout any inquiry, make sure they are listened to, and get the support they need from day one.”

However, the government’s plan for an advocate, which Raab also set out in a letter to Hillsborough relatives on Monday, was immediately criticised by families and campaigners, who said it fell crucially short of the public advocate they have long called for as part of proposed “Hillsborough law” reforms.

That model, which has been presented repeatedly in the Commons by the Labour MP Maria Eagle and been blocked by successive governments, is focused on preventing cover-ups by quickly securing all documents from the police and other organisations involved in a disaster. Having had her public advocate bill