New Advocate Vows to End Decades-Long Wait for Justice Following UK Disasters
The agonizingly slow pursuit of truth and accountability for victims of tragedies like the Hillsborough disaster and Grenfell Tower fire is “shameful and a stain on our society,” according to Cindy Butts, the newly appointed Autonomous public Advocate (IPA) for England and Wales. In her first interview since assuming the role, Butts, a former police complaints commissioner, pledged to prevent bereaved families from being forced to “become investigators and de facto lawyers at the time of grief” in their quest for justice following state failings.
“Its shameful and it’s a stain on our society that following major incidents,where there are clearly failures of either the state or its institutions,we are not getting to the truth soon enough,” Butts stated. “What we see over and over again are the same failings: people denied the truth,documents going missing or being altered,families being blamed,families not being treated with respect.Forcing people to fight in grief is inhumane.”
The IPA role, established in 2023 following a report detailing failures in the treatment of Hillsborough families, is a world-first initiative. Butts will be responsible for ensuring victims of large-scale incidents are aware of their rights, have access to data, and receive support navigating complex legal processes.She emphasized the need to move beyond repeated cycles of inquiry, stating, “We don’t want to be in a situation of a public inquiry that lasts decades, where the truth has to be prized from institutions.” She believes the key lesson from Hillsborough is not to replicate past panels, but to “build a system where we never again need one.”
Butts’ commitment to advocacy stems from her upbringing in west London,where she witnessed her mother campaign on issues including school exclusions,inadequate housing,and racial disparities in stop and search practices. Her professional career reflects this dedication, having previously served with the Metropolitan Police Authority following the Stephen Lawrence inquiry and as a commissioner at the Independent police Complaints Commission (now the Independent Office for Police Conduct) during its Hillsborough investigation. She also chaired the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, which in 2023 published a report finding the sport to be “racist, sexist and elitist.”
Recognizing a important hurdle, Butts acknowledged that building trust with individuals “justifiably mistrustful” of the state will be her biggest challenge. “My ambition is to quickly build credibility and to show thru my actions that my loyalty is with victims, not to institutions,” she affirmed.
the IPA’s remit, effective from September 2024, covers incidents “declared in writing by the secretary of state to have caused the death of or serious harm to a significant number of individuals,” encompassing events comparable to the Grenfell Tower fire, the Hillsborough disaster, and the Manchester arena bombing. butts also expressed a desire to expand the role to include individual deaths in cases of significant public interest, citing examples like those of Harry Dunn and Stephen Lawrence.
While acknowledging the Ministry of Justice provides primary funding for her office, Butts indicated she believes current resources are insufficient to effectively handle a large-scale incident, though the body has the capacity to “draw down funds” if necesary. She has been consulting with bereaved families from previous disasters, including relatives of the 50 individuals who perished in the 1973 Summerland fire on the Isle of Man, to inform her approach. “They’ve not been given space and dignity to grieve as they have to fight for the truth – that’s profoundly wrong and inhumane,” she said.
A key priority for Butts is the full implementation of the Hillsborough Law, currently progressing through Parliament, which would introduce prison sentences for public servants who deliberately conceal information related to state-related disasters. While welcoming the legislation, particularly its provision to ensure “victims’ families are not outnumbered by armies of lawyers” during inquests and inquiries, she identified significant shortcomings. “It’s taken 36 years as Hillsborough for parliament to stand on the verge of legislating for honesty, accountability and equality of arms. Yet families are absent from the bill itself. I think that’s a gap. It’s a massive legitimacy gap,” she stated. “And it’s truly shameful that we need legislation at all. The very fact that this legal duty of candour is required tells us how deep and persistent the problems have been.”
