A Labour minister has defended "important judgements" made about withholding information in the Southport killings case, after police claimed they were "gagged" by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Employment minister Alison McGovern said decisions around information disclosure were crucial to protect the possibility of a trial and achieving justice.
She expressed confidence in Merseyside Police, noting she knows the force "very well" and that "they are incredibly good"
Speaking to GB News, McGovern said: "I know the police in Merseyside well, as you might imagine, and I obviously can't comment on the source of those reports until we know what's actually happened, it wouldn't be right for me to do so.
"The one thing that I would say is that these judgments are very important because you can put at risk the possibility of a trial and getting to justice.
"So we shouldn't underestimate how challenging it will be. But as I say, I know the police in Merseyside very well and they are incredibly good and they will make their needs known.
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"Following these terrible events to the government, as a general point, I've been a strong supporter of Hillsborough Law.
"Following the terrible events and all that went wrong, covering up that terrible situation.
"We need to have a duty of candour to make sure that public servants say what they know when terrible things happen, because that's the public's information and it should be out there.
"I would say that anybody who's worried about trust in government can show that they want change by voting and supporting Hillsborough law."
The minister's comments come as police sources revealed frustration over CPS restrictions on releasing details about killer Axel Rudakubana.
Merseyside detectives had wanted to provide details about Rudakubana's background, including his religion and crimes, but were warned not to do so by the CPS, according to police sources.
Officers were also prevented from disclosing information about a terrorist document and batch of ricin discovered at his home.
A police source told The Telegraph: "As far as they are concerned the more information that is in the public domain the better as it negates the speculation and conspiracies".
The restrictions continued even after Rudakubana's guilty pleas on Monday, when prosecutors attempted to block details of a pre-trial briefing from being reported.
Police sources revealed that shortly after the attack, detectives found a suspicious substance later confirmed as ricin at Rudakubana's home.
Officers also discovered an al-Qaeda training manual titled "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants", suggesting links to Islamic extremism.
These findings were kept secret for three months until Rudakubana was charged with producing a biological toxin and possessing terrorist documents.
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Employment minister Alison McGovern said decisions around information disclosure were crucial to protect the possibility of a trial and achieving justice.
She expressed confidence in Merseyside Police, noting she knows the force "very well" and that "they are incredibly good"
Speaking to GB News, McGovern said: "I know the police in Merseyside well, as you might imagine, and I obviously can't comment on the source of those reports until we know what's actually happened, it wouldn't be right for me to do so.
"The one thing that I would say is that these judgments are very important because you can put at risk the possibility of a trial and getting to justice.
"So we shouldn't underestimate how challenging it will be. But as I say, I know the police in Merseyside very well and they are incredibly good and they will make their needs known.
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"Following these terrible events to the government, as a general point, I've been a strong supporter of Hillsborough Law.
"Following the terrible events and all that went wrong, covering up that terrible situation.
"We need to have a duty of candour to make sure that public servants say what they know when terrible things happen, because that's the public's information and it should be out there.
"I would say that anybody who's worried about trust in government can show that they want change by voting and supporting Hillsborough law."
The minister's comments come as police sources revealed frustration over CPS restrictions on releasing details about killer Axel Rudakubana.
Merseyside detectives had wanted to provide details about Rudakubana's background, including his religion and crimes, but were warned not to do so by the CPS, according to police sources.
Officers were also prevented from disclosing information about a terrorist document and batch of ricin discovered at his home.
A police source told The Telegraph: "As far as they are concerned the more information that is in the public domain the better as it negates the speculation and conspiracies".
The restrictions continued even after Rudakubana's guilty pleas on Monday, when prosecutors attempted to block details of a pre-trial briefing from being reported.
Police sources revealed that shortly after the attack, detectives found a suspicious substance later confirmed as ricin at Rudakubana's home.
Officers also discovered an al-Qaeda training manual titled "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants", suggesting links to Islamic extremism.
These findings were kept secret for three months until Rudakubana was charged with producing a biological toxin and possessing terrorist documents.
Find Out More...