Starmer calls for duty of candour law
Sir Keir Starmer is calling for a "duty of candour" law to prevent future cover-ups like the infected blood and Post Office scandals.
At Prime Minister's Questions, the Labour leader said the infected blood scandal "reflects a profound failure across almost every part of the British state".
But he added that it was "not unique" and the failure to be open and transparent with victims had been a feature of “scandal after scandal”, from Hillsborough to Grenfell Tower.
Under a duty of candour law, public servants would have a legal responsibility to tell the truth, or face criminal sanctions.
NHS staff have had a duty of professional candour to be open and transparent with patients since 2014, but Sir Keir said it should be extended "across the board".
Rishi Sunak said he had "enormous amount of sympathy for" the idea of a duty of candour but wanted to "fully digest" the findings of the infected blood scandal inquiry.
