Calendar IPCC News

There are shocking new allegations about the extent of the police cover up at Hillsborough and the role of West Yorkshire's Chief Constable have been made to MPs during a special debate at Westminster.

The Merseyside MP Maria Eagle quoted a letter she'd received, in which a man from Sheffield, who was on a course with Sir Norman Bettison, claimed he was told by him that he'd been asked to "concoct" a story about Liverpool fans being drunk.

Today Claire Ashforth spoke exclusively to John Barry, a former civil servant from Sheffield, the man at the centre of Miss Eagle's allegations:

• UK
• Hillsborough
• IPCC

Two of the candidates standing to be West Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner have branded Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison's position "untenable" after allegations about his involvement in a police cover-up of the Hillsborough disaster.

Labour candidate Mark Burns-Williamson and Conservative Geraldine Carter have said he should go.

Until recently Mr Burns-Williamson was the Chair of the West Yorkshire Police Authority.

It is understood the Authority will discuss Sir Norman's position at a meeting tomorrow.

He has been referred to the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The candidates standing are:

• Mark Burns-Williamson - Labour
• Geraldine Carter - Conservative
• Cedric Christie - Independent
• Andrew Marchington - Liberal Democrat

• UK
• Hillsborough
• IPCC

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been given 1,400 names of officers as it investigates South Yorkshire Police's role in the Hillsborough tragedy, MPs were told today.

The inquiry will investigate "potential criminality and police misconduct in respect of police officers, both serving and retired", according to Home Secretary Theresa May.

The South Yorkshire chief constable wrote to me on Friday to say he sent a list of 1,444 names of former and serving officers of South Yorkshire to the IPCC. This is a huge number of names - more than we expected.

• UK
• hillsborough
• IPCC

• UK
• Hillsborough
• IPCC

There is another major victory for the families of the 96 football fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster - as the Government's most senior law officer has announced he will apply for new inquests to be held.

Campaigners say the original verdicts of accidental death were a travesty - and they believe their loved ones were unlawfully killed.

It came as South Yorkshire's current Chief Constable agreed that senior officers who tried to shift the blame from the police to the fans were "wrong - and sick in the mind." Jon Hill reports

• UK
• Hillsborough
• IPCC

The Government's most senior law officer has paved the way for a fresh inquest to be held into the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans in the Hillsborough disaster 23 years ago.

The Attorney General is to apply to the High Court to have the verdicts of accidental deaths at the original hearing quashed so a new hearing can be held. Jon Hill reports.

• UK
• Hillsborough
• IPCC

The Attorney General has announced the original inquests into the deaths of the 96 Hillsborough victims should be quashed and new ones carried out.

Dominic Grieve QC said he will apply to the High Court to have the verdicts of the original hearing quashed so a new one can be held.

The move comes after a damning report into the disaster laid bare a cover-up which attempted to shift the blame for the tragedy on to its victims.

Mr Grieve said his consideration of the evidence was far from over, but he was taking the exceptional step of indicating he must apply for new inquests to be held on the basis of the evidence he has already read.

In doing so, I should make it clear that further work will need to be done before any application can be made.

In particular, there was not one inquest but 96.

My current view is that I will apply to have every one of those 96 inquests quashed.

I believe that these deaths, arising as they do from a common chain of events, should all be considered afresh.

However, before reaching any final view on the scope of the application, I want to give the families affected the opportunity to make any representations in respect of the family member or members they lost.

• UK
• Hillsborough
• IPCC