Writing in the Liverpool Echo, Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall has called for The Sun newspaper to be held to account for its role in spreading lies about the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster through Leveson 2, saying:

“Justice won’t be done until The Sun too, is made to answer for its abuses.”

Aspinall condemns The Sun as:

“South Yorkshire Police’s willing accomplices in the cover-up.”

She explains that the paper:

“Spread disgusting lies about the behaviour of the fans, and blamed those who died for the disaster. This was not only abusive and cowardly, attacking us while we grieved, but it also promoted the cover-up. It sold a lie to the public. It made our fight for justice harder and longer.”

She reveals that:

“The Sun tried to bribe the families with an offer to build a new sports field in Liverpool if the families promised to publicly accept their apology. We rejected their grubby deal.”

She also condemns the paper for its interference in press accountability:

“Then The Sun aggressively lobbied to shut down Leveson 2, which would investigate how the newspaper conspired with the police to spread their lies and cover up the truth.”

Aspinall accuses the paper’s leadership of lacking remorse:

“The people who run that newspaper don’t care about or have any remorse over what happened. They just didn’t expect the City of Liverpool to stand up for itself.”

Finally, she highlights the strength and unity of the city’s ongoing boycott:

“For almost forty years now, our city won’t buy its newspaper and that has cost them a lot of money.”

Aspinall concludes by urging political leaders to act:

‘The prime minister promised us that he would see this through. It is time for him to deliver that justice, and use this opportunity to build on today’s vital achievement to make Leveson 2 a reality, and ensure the media is held to account for its role in state failures and cover-ups.’

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