Statutory duty of candour for law enforcement
Daniel Morgan Panel · The Report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel · Issued 15 June 2021 · Addressed to: Home Office
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, Volume 1
The Panel recommends the creation of a statutory duty of candour, to be owed by all law enforcement agencies to those whom they serve, subject to protection of national security and relevant data protection legislation.
Daniel Morgan Panel, The Report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel · 15 Jun 2021 Source PDF →
Response — verbatim from government
●Home Office
The Panel agreed with other independent inquiries, such as Bishop James Jones' report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families, about the need for a duty of candour for public services, including the police. The Government will address the points of learning related to a duty of candour as part of the full response to Bishop James Jones's report. The Government has committed to engaging with the Hillsborough families prior to publication of its full response.
Home Office · 22 Jun 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 6 Feb 2026 · Home Office The Panel recommended a statutory duty of candour for all law enforcement agencies. The government accepted in principle and linked it to the Hillsborough Law. The Public Authority (Accountability) Bill was introduced 16 September 2025 and passed second reading 3 November 2025. However, the bill stalled in January 2026 after a dispute over whether intelligence services would be covered. Hillsborough campaigners withdrew their support. As of February 2026 no new date has been set for report stage. The statutory duty of candour does not yet exist in law. View source → Insufficient Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.