THIS week, our chair Paul Khan has written to Keir Starmer and Merseyside MPs with concerns over an advertised event at the Labour Party Conference, which will held in Liverpool from Sunday 28 September to Wednesday 1 October.

I write on behalf of Spirit of Shankly to express deep concern regarding the planned appearance and book signing by Iain Dale at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool next month.

Iain Dale’s presence in this city, and at a Labour event, is completely inappropriate. He is the author of a new biography of Margaret Thatcher, a prime minister whose government was complicit in the cover-up of the Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 people were unlawfully killed. The publishing company he co-owned released books by Norman Bettison — a senior police officer central to the cover-up, who was later charged with misconduct in public office, and Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of The Sun newspaper when it printed its lie of a front page that read: ‘The Truth’.

In July 2024, the city’s Philharmonic Hall cancelled a scheduled appearance by him, following complaints from Hillsborough survivors and campaigners, saying it was “not appropriate due to local sensitivities”.

It is baffling why he should even contemplate the event having shown such disdain for the city, describing it on a previous trip as “ghastly” that it “makes Gaza look welcoming” and finishing with, “If I never came back again ever, it would be too soon. I suspect the feeling will be mutual after this.”

That the Labour Party should now offer him a platform in this city is an insult, compounded by the current fear of those Hillsborough families, survivors and campaigners — as voiced by Liverpool MP Ian Byrne — that the Hillsborough Law will not be delivered in full as promised.

This decision, coming after the recent appointment of David Dinsmore as the government’s Director of Communications, merely adds to a growing sense of betrayal.

I urge you to reconsider this decision and cancel the event. In doing so, it would demonstrate an act of solidarity with the Hillsborough families, survivors and campaigners and reinforce your commitment to truth, justice and accountability.

I have also sent a copy of this letter to the General Secretary of the Labour Party and will share with our members.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Khan

Chair

Spirit of Shankly