Minute’s silence held to mark 35 years since Hillsborough disaster

Ninety-seven men, women and children died following the tragedy at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15 1989.

On Monday at 3.06pm, the time the match was stopped, a minute’s silence was observed in Liverpool.

Members of the public gathered in Exchange Flags, behind the town hall, where You’ll Never Walk Alone was played.

Ninety-seven balloons were released at Anfield in memory of those who lost their lives.

The Mersey ferry sounded its horn at the beginning and end of the minute’s silence and traffic was held through the Mersey Tunnels.

Flags were flown at half mast on civic buildings and football club sites throughout the day.

Sir Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool’s manager at the time of the tragedy, and the club’s current manager Jurgen Klopp were among club officials who laid flowers at Anfield stadium’s Hillsborough memorial on Monday morning.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer re-affirmed his commitment to a Hillsborough Law which campaigners are calling for to help victims of other scandals to get justice.

Writing on X, previously known as Twitter, he said: “Today on the 35th anniversary of Hillsborough, I’ll be thinking about those lost, their families, and their enduring courage and determination to pursue justice.

“Making the Hillsborough Law a reality would be a priority of my Labour government.”

Inquests into the deaths, held after the original verdicts were quashed following the Hillsborough Independent Panel report, concluded in 2016 and found the victims were unlawfully killed and errors by the police and ambulance service caused or contributed to the deaths.

The match commander on the day, David Duckenfield, was charged with gross negligence manslaughter in 2017, but was cleared in 2019 at a retrial held after the jury in his first trial was unable to reach a verdict.

In 2021, retired officers Donald Denton and Alan Foster and former force solicitor Peter Metcalf, who were accused of amending statements to minimise the blame on South Yorkshire Police, were acquitted of perverting the course of justice after a judge ruled there was no case to answer.

A spokesman for the Hillsborough Law campaign said: “Today, we pay tribute to all 97 supporters, they will never be forgotten, and we fight on in their memory and for all those who have suffered such injustice at the hands of the state.

“The truth of what really happened on that dreadful day was not revealed for decades because public authorities and officials concealed the truth in their own interests.

“Yet 35 years on, the experiences of Hillsborough families have been repeated countless times, currently with the Post Office scandal.

“Little has changed.

“A Hillsborough Law, with a duty of candour at its heart, would ensure that the battles faced by the Hillsborough and Post Office families, and countless others, can never be repeated.

“It would create a legal duty on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively co-operate with official investigations and inquiries.

“Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to make this law a reality if the Labour Party comes to power, we hope other parties will follow suit and stop this criminal abuse of power.”