Chinook families join calls for an independent regulator to oversee public bodies involved in wrongdoing

Calls come as ministers finally bow to public pressure and agree to meet the families after 18 months of stonewalling

Families planted a poppy for the victims of ZD576 in the field of Remembrance outside Westminster Abbey - Nov 4th 2025

The families of those killed in the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre have today joined calls for an Independent Office for Institutional Accountability with the power to force public institutions – like the Ministry of Defence – to put victims first when they cause harm or are involved in cover-ups and wrongdoing.

Last night, in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister finally agreed after months of public pressure to arrange a face-to-face ministerial meeting with the families with whom the government has refused to engage for 18 months.

During discussion of the Hillsborough Bill – the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, several MPs raised the issue, including Sorcha Eastwood MP who said the Chinook case should be the “test case” for a legal duty of candour on public bodies.

The move comes as relatives involved in the Chinook Justice Campaign, who are seeking a Judicial Review against the MoD over its failure to release files on the crash and hold a public inquiry, this morning attended a Parliamentary roundtable in the House of Lords organised by the Coalition for Institutional Accountability.

Families of the 29 service personnel killed in the RAF’s worst peacetime accident, on an aircraft which is now known to have been unairworthy, say that for too long the MoD has marked its own homework, concealed the truth, sealed files on the crash for 100 years, refused calls for a public inquiry, and added to the trauma of those left behind by dissembling and denying the facts.

Andy Tobias, whose father John was killed in the disaster, was one of those who spoke at today’s event.

Andy Tobias, with mum Gaynor, and brother Matt in parliament

Andy said: “We look forward to hearing when this ministerial meeting will take place. After 18 months, we have now had a letter from the Ministry of Defence offering a meeting. But we would like the Prime Minister to be there and take personal responsibility for resolving our case, releasing all the files on the crash sealed by the MoD, and ordering a judge-led public inquiry without the need to go to court.

“In so many cases involving the Ministry of Defence, families like ours are put through hell. Like the nuclear vets, those fighting cancer battles caused by helicopter fumes, and many other MoD cases. The truth is denied, papers are spirited away, dishonesty is front and centre from the department we now call the Ministry of Deceit.

“It’s not normal to lock documents away for 100 years. It’s not normal to withhold evidence and lie and mislead former defence secretaries. It’s not normal to blame the crash on pilot error and smear their names and reputations to cover up your mistakes. It should not be normal to have to fight for truth, transparency and justice and expose a terrible cover up.

“Not normal must stop, which is why we strongly support calls for an Independent Office for Institutional Accountability.”

Polling data from Deltapoll reveals that 50% of people in the UK believe current systems are ineffective at holding institutions accountable when they cause harm.

The cross-sector, independent body would be responsible for overseeing institutional harm cases, with a mandate to conduct survivor-informed investigations, ensure transparency in public reporting, and monitor institutional compliance with restorative practices. The office would have statutory powers and be co-led with representatives from impacted communities to restore public trust and avoid repeated harm.

The calls follow publication of a white paper From Harm to Healing: Rebuilding Trust in Britain's Publicly Funded Institutions, authored by the Coalition for Institutional Accountability, which brings together survivors, legal experts, restorative justice practitioners, faith leaders, and media voices committed to transforming how Britain's publicly funded institutions respond to harm. 

From Hillsborough to NHS maternity scandals and the Post Office, from Sara Sharif's murder to the infected blood scandal, the group argues that the same toxic cycle repeats: institution causes harm; institution denies or minimises harm; survivors forced to investigate themselves; years/decades pass with no accountability; public trust erodes further.

Leah Brown says institutions should not be left to investigate themselves, further repeating harm

Leah Brown FRSA, Lawyer-mediator, lecturer, founder of WayFinders® and founder of the Coalition, said: “Years of systemic harm, unacknowledged injustices, and a reluctance to embrace transparency have eroded trust in government, leaving survivors without meaningful redress or support. From Grenfell to Chinook, the Church of England to infected blood, the pattern repeats: institutions investigate themselves, legal and compensation costs exceed billions annually, yet harm continues.

"The voices that Britain's institutions work hardest to silence finally have a platform. From Home Office failures to police cover-ups, survivors have become unwilling experts in institutional failure. They know what went wrong, why it keeps happening, and how to stop it. But institutions rarely ask them.”