Steve Rotheram MP on Hillsborough and the fight for justice

Interview by Emdad Rahman:  Hillsborough was always known as the home of Sheffield Wednesday. With a capacity just short of 40,000, the Owls’ home ground has hosted World Cup and Euro Championship games. As one of the country's largest stadiums, and currently the biggest outside the Premiership, Hillsborough was renowned as a much loved neutral venue for cup semis and international clashes. But over the last quarter of a century this much loved stadium has become synonymous with Britain's greatest sporting tragedy.

Steve Rotheram MP was at Hillsborough on 15th April 1989. He had “journeyed to Sheffield on a coach from Kirby. It was a beautiful spring day. It was gorgeous, fantastic weather.”

The recollections sour and darken thereafter, as that gloriously sunny afternoon witnessed the biggest football tragedy ever seen in British history and one of the worst in the world. Ninety-six people lost their lives and 766 were injured. The Taylor Report, produced by the official inquiry into the disaster, concluded that “the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control.”

The findings of the report resulted in the eradication of standing football terraces at football stadiums in both Scotland and England and.

As a fan on the day, Rotheram noticed unusually large flocks of fans: “There were no security barriers, not like what was expected at a game of such magnitude, and there were swathes of people congregating.

“I helplessly watched frantic scenes of children and adults who were attending a football match as they lay injured and dying.

“I was lucky and so were most of my friends and relatives, although it was touch and go with our Lisa, who thankfully survived.

“Ninety-six were not to make it back home and since that day they and others traumatised by the events of that day have been scapegoats for over 20 years.”

“I was seven rows back, opposite to the Leppings Lane Stand. It was the days before mobile phones and when we were able to leave the stadium we joined other fans in queuing up outside terraced houses where the kind locals allowed us to use their phones. I made a very brief call just to tell my mum that I was OK.

“Twenty-three years on and absolutely nobody has been held to account for this human tragedy.”

I ask the Liverpool Walton MP about the infamous “3:15 pm cut off time” – the time the official Coroner said that all 96 supporters were dead. Rotheram has spoken extensively about this controversial cut off point and coined the phrase – “get out of jail card” in reference to the authorities using this information as a statement of fact. It means that though the situation was tragic not many of the deceased suffered beyond 3:15pm.

Rotheram said; “3:15pm was the cutoff point the coroner said that all the victims were dead. This has been proven to be untrue.

“There were 42 ambulances, but it didn’t matter because according to the authorities everyone was dead. The 3:15pm cut off point almost exonerates the emergency services. We are definitely aware that Kevin Williams was witnessed as being alive at 3:37 pm and 3:54 pm and nobody has been held accountable to this day.”

There have been accusations that the Commons has been all too silent about the affair. Rotheram has a slightly propitious viewpoint; “I do think a lot more needed to be done then, now and over the years. There have been debates. The Thatcher Government believed that the people of Merseyside and Liverpool would give up and there has been a failure by successive governments to address Hillsborough.

“Then a great opportunity came through the medium of e-petitions and we found ourselves in the position where for the very first time a Commons debate was triggered by a government online petition.”

There are voices who call for Prime Minister Cameron to apologise for Hillsborough. Rotheram agrees; “Prime Ministers have apologised for regrettable incidents that have occurred while they weren’t on watch. David Cameron apologised for Bloody Sunday. There is a precedent that Prime Ministers issue apologies if wrong has been done – and here we have a monumental example of grave injustice and wrongdoing. We are waiting on the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report which is due out in a few months, and I will then consider pressing the PM for an apology.”

Four days after the Hillsborough disaster The Sun newspaper, in a twisted attempt to boost sales, added a further blow to the bereaved residents of Liverpool by conjuring up a mammoth lie. Under the stewardship of Kelvin Mackenzie it blamed Liverpool fans for the deaths of their fellow fans and printed the gruesome headlines:
“The Truth.
Some fans picked pockets of victims
Some fans urinated on the brave cops
Some fans beat up PC giving kiss of life.”

While families of the bereaved and survivors of the disaster were still coming to terms with what happened four days earlier, they were hit with another blow – they were being blamed for killing and disregarding their own.

There has been a Merseyside boycott of the Sun since that day. “I only apologised because Rupert Murdoch told me to,” said editor Kelvin Mackenzie.” I wasn’t sorry then and I’m not sorry now because we told the truth.”

I have struck a deep nerve and Rotheram reacts with scolding admonishment. His response is fiery and passionate; “People have to understand the damage the headline of The Sun newspaper did to our city.

“Instead of investigating the allegations and the evidence, The Sun, under salacious headlines, sported a front page banner proclaiming ‘The Truth.’ It accused Liverpudlians at Hillsborough of robbing the dead, urinating on the police and attacking emergency services that were trying to aid the stricken. These accusations were all false and untrue. Kelvin Mackenzie diverted attention – he lied several times.”

Kenny Dalglish mentions an encounter he had with The Sun editor in his autobiography. Mackenzie asked Dalglish; “How can we correct the situation?” Dalglish said; “You know that big headline ‘The Truth’? All you have to do is put ‘We Lied’ in the same size. Then you might be all right.” The advice sought was not acted upon. Mackenzie said; “I cannot do that.” Dalglish replied; “Well, I cannot help you then,” and put the phone down.

“Rupert Murdoch is responsible for what his paper did to the grieving people of Liverpool in 1989,” added Rotheram. “They tho

ught they were untouchable and over many years their conduct became more brazen, arrogant, institutionalised and pushed the boundaries and laws of society. They tried to recreate the rules for themselves. The phone hacking scandal is a clear example of how far these brash and conceited people thought they could go unchallenged.”

Rotheram will continue to fight for justice; “All I have ever wanted to do was represent the ordinary fan. I want to do what any Liverpool fan would do and will continue to push the Government to recognise all the ramifications of 15th April 1989.

“Can’t you guys just draw a line and move on?” is a common question on the lips of many people. Rotheram smiles. “I once came across a survey on injustice that refers to a specific point – that it takes a 25 year cycle to settle an injustice. The people of Liverpool suffered a terrible injustice in 1989. Ninety-six individual souls were lost. These people had lives to live and futures ahead of them.

“We cannot begin to imagine the pain and sorrow of those who lost their nearest and dearest at Hillsborough. Only those who have tragically lost a loved one in such circumstances would understand the enormity of the injustices suffered by these people.”

Rotheram does not support talk surrounding the return of standing terraces at football grounds; “With regards to safe standing, I believe that our football culture is different to other European nations. I am against standing at football events. Standing also affects the enjoyment of younger fans, the infirm and families. Football fans pay for and have an allocated space, and if we stay within the confines afforded then things are less likely to go wrong at a match. In the UK we have a good safety record and I want it to continue for a very long time.”

The case of 15-year-old Hillsborough victim Kevin Williams, from Formby, was subjected to a parliamentary debate in February after more than 100,000 people signed an online petition calling for a fresh inquest into his death. This was after his mother Anne Williams uncovered new evidence.

Rotheram was at the debate. “The Kevin Williams debate was well attended and many took note of the issues. We asked the Attorney General to look at matters afresh as well as considering the findings of an in depth study to be published later this year – The Hillsborough Independent Report.”

The suspicion held by families, friends and supporters is that the 3.15 pm cut-off point was a convenient way of avoiding evidence that showed that lives could have been saved if ambulances had been allowed on the pitch and if police officers had been told to help people out of the Leppings Lane pens. Many thousands of people believe that a new coroner’s inquest would allow the presentation of evidence to show that Kevin was still alive after 3.15 pm and that his life might have been saved had different decisions been taken and a call was made for a fresh inquest into Kevin Williams death in February.

In the presence of Chair Anna Main, Rotheram made a presentation to the proceedings: “We are here to argue the case for the Attorney-General to review the overwhelming evidence relating to the unlawful killing of a young man – Kevin Williams. Some people have asked why we are back here again, following the success of the absolutely enthralling debate in the House on 17th October. It is simply because there are specific questions that still require specific answers. If there was a case in any other walk of life in which the police and members of the emergency services had altered statements, fabricated stories and covered their own backs, there would quite rightly be public outrage. Well, there is public outrage. The public of Merseyside and far beyond have been outraged for 22 and a half years.

“For Anne Williams and her family, the backdrop to their individual tragedy is the same as that for the other 95 families—it is the dignified pursuit of justice.

“If we look not just at Kevin’s case, but at the disaster that took place that day, it is clear that had it not been for the quick action of Liverpool fans, the tragedy would have involved way more than 96 deaths and could have involved many hundreds of deaths. Liverpool fans acted, while those charged with our safety that day froze, and that should never be forgotten.

“Today, we have heard that the cause of Kevin’s death should be re-examined. As we have heard, his mother is yet to pick up his death certificate, because the cause of death is wrong. Imagine a country that has so far allowed a broken-hearted mother to wait 23 years to find out the reasons why her young son died at a football match, when she knows it was not the result of traumatic asphyxia.

“The e-petition stated that the overwhelming evidence makes it quite clear that the Attorney General needs to look afresh at this issue to reach the logical conclusion that Kevin was not dead at 3.15 pm but died subsequently, so that he can deem that it is right to grant a new coroner’s inquest.

“The families have fought their dignified campaign for more than two decades, with an eternal flame burning bright – the flame of hope. Kevin’s mother, Anne, has hope in her heart today. She has been joined on her heart-breaking journey by the families of the other 95 victims of Hillsborough, some of whom I left earlier at a different venue. My hope is that we can finally get justice for those who lost their lives and the families who continue to mourn them. Only then will the families of the 96 be able to put their loved ones to rest.”

Attorney General Dominic Grieve said: “…No one can fail to be moved by what happened on that fateful day in April 1989 that still resonates so powerfully among so many people. That is perfectly apparent to me having listened to the debate today and having read the debate – I was not able to be present – that took place in October. I found it illuminating in helping me to understand the concerns, which have been further voiced today.

“I am only too well aware of the strength of feeling that this House holds about the tragic and needless deaths of so many men, women and children. Not only did that day – a day that promised only the entertainment of an FA Cup semi-final – go so badly wrong, the pain was undoubtedly compounded by unforgivable calumnies published about those who tried to help the injured and the dying. As a man and as a Minister, I share those feelings. As Attorney-General, in which role I am here today, I cannot let sympathy alone sway any decision I may reach. As Attorney-General, in performing this function, as I explained earlier, I act wholly independently of Government and must reach my decision based on the evidence alone. What I can promise the House, and do promise, is that I will approach this case with an open mind and, if I conclude that the evidence supports an application to the court, I will ensure that an application is made.”

Hillsborough, the closing of ranks, lies and cover ups are a blight on our society. It’s been too long. It’s time to expose the lies and hold individuals to account. It’s high time for justice.