The Bill would place a legal duty on public officials to tell the truth during official inquiries.

Speaking after raising the issue at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday (11 June), Ms Eastwood said: "Whether it’s the cardiac scandal at the RVH in Belfast, the cervical smear scandal in the Southern Trust, COVID bereaved families or the crash of Chinook Z576, the common thread here is families that simply wanted the truth, but that were let down by institutions.

“These types of incidents have touched the lives of many, both in Lagan Valley and across Northern Ireland, and I’m calling on the UK Government to urgently introduce a Duty of Candour Bill. One that reflects what the Hillsborough Law Now campaigners and families have fought so very hard advocating for.

“The government pledged to have passed the legislation by April this year, in time for the anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster, but shamefully missed the deadline.

“The bill is already overdue, and while timeliness matters, so does substance. Any forthcoming legislation must honour the Hillsborough Law Now campaign in full. Anything less risks a toothless bill that will do little to stop future injustices for families right across the UK.”

Elkan Abrahamson, the director of the Hillsborough Law Now Campaign, said in April that the current draft bill does not include any of the pledges made by the Prime Minister.

Asked about this, he stated “We feel it as a betrayal. It does not contain a duty of candour, which is what the whole idea of that the bill was about.”