Document gives campaigners new hope

Hillsborough campaigners believe they are now edging towards discovering the truth of what happened in the tragedy more than 22 years ago after a momentous occasion in the House of Commons.

On Monday night a motion calling for all documents - including Cabinet notes and briefings - to be handed to the independent panel set up to review the papers for public release was passed unopposed in the House of Commons. Many emotional speeches, not least by Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram and Leigh MP and former Sports Minister Andy Burnham, set the tone for the debate.

And with Home Secretary Theresa May insisting the Government is committed to disclosing the full facts surrounding the 1989 tragedy which claimed 96 lives, it now appears those who have been campaigning for justice for more than two decades will get their wish.

"We are all very pleased with the outcome last night. I thought the MPs did a great job," Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, told Press Association Sport.

"I thought Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham were fantastic. To mention the names of the 96 in the House of Commons makes sure it goes down in Hansard (the official record) and was amazingly emotional.

"We have always had caution but after last night I am hoping it will help the families in some way. I feel so much better about it. We are getting nearer and nearer now - hopefully our day will come.

"To hear Theresa May's speech was really pleasing, not just for us but for the whole of the city, the fans and the survivors. I think it sends out a message that a cover-up like that will never happen again."

The debate was sparked after an online petition was signed by almost 140,000 people and the campaign gathered pace through social media with a number of high-profile footballers throwing their weight behind the cause.

"It has taken 22 years to get this far and it was said in the House of the Commons that it was down to the power of the people," added Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. "It is never too late to get to the truth.

"There will be no end for the families because we have lost our children and loved ones and we lost them needlessly. Now the families may feel that, at last, everybody is listening."