HFSG: We want full apology

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Margaret, what's the mood like amongst the families you represent on the eve of the panel releasing its report?

It is one of anticipation. [We are] nervous, emotional and desperate - desperate to discover what the findings are going to be.

What is it you will actually be provided with by the panel itself?

When we go into the cathedral, we will be getting a summary of the report and we've got to look at that. Hopefully, we might be able to digest it, but I doubt it very much. It's going to be a very emotional day, but I'm just hoping for the questions we have put forward, we find all the answers.

What essentially are you hoping to be the main thing that does emerge from the panel's report?

The exoneration of our fans and survivors - that is very important. They did nothing wrong that day and prevented more people from dying. That would be a very good thing if that does happen. Obviously I'd like to find out why Duckenfield gave the order to open the gate and tried to say the fans kicked it in, and why they did not block off the tunnel in already over-crowded pens. But I think the main thing for everybody who lost somebody that day is to get the inquest verdicts changed and go beyond the 3.15pm [cut-off point].

Rather than actually drawing a line under Hillsborough for the families, do you see Wednesday as hopefully the next positive step in your fight for justice?

Absolutely. I am hoping it draws a line for the survivors and fans, some of them who are still suffering. They have guilt still on them, which is an absolute disgrace that these fans have had any form of guilt on them whatsoever. They did nothing wrong that day - all they did was help to save more people from dying. I hope for those fans it will be complete exoneration from what they were accused of. For the families, I think there will be another journey. For 23 years now we've been fighting for the truth of Hillsborough. I think it will be a journey in the sense that if there is any evidence there that [means] we can go forward for a new inquest, then that is what we're going to do. Since the generic inquest, I've always insisted I never got my son's death certificate. From that day, after those verdicts came out, I wrote that I do not want my son's death certificate until the right verdict is put on it. I am hoping I might be on the journey of getting and achieving that.

Before the panel speaks to the media after they've spoken to the families, a ministerial statement is expected to be made in Westminster. Last October, the Prime Minister likened the families' search for closure on Hillsborough to the plight of, and I quote, a 'blind man, in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there.' What do you hope you hear from the Prime Minister this Wednesday?

I'm hoping it will be a full, national apology. After 23 years of heartache, not only for the families but of the fans and everybody else, what they have put us through was needless and it was unnecessary. It was all there from the minute Hillsborough happened, they knew exactly what happened. They knew who was to blame for the deaths of the 96. Over the past 23 years, we've had a lot of people slinging mud at us - and we still get that to this day. We want now, a full apology for what they've done and caused - the pain, the grief, the heartache, the stress. They've put us through hell for 23 years and it's the least we can expect from Mr Cameron. We are not blaming Mr Cameron for those terrible deaths, but his government was in power on that day and I think he's got to apologise on behalf of his government.

It's not only the mistakes that were made on the day by the authorities, but also subsequent investigations too, isn't it?

Yes, there were so many things that went on. The legal channels we've had to go down and fight. You can talk about the scrutiny as well, and every one of these channels have said to us, 'You need new evidence.' That angers me because if there is new evidence that comes out on Wednesday - and I do say if there is - it has been there. Why have they done that to us? Why did they not release it straight away? Why did they make the families travel to Leeds every day for a private prosecution? Why did we have to go through all of that? The scrutiny, generic inquest... so many things we've had to go through and the door slammed in our faces - why did they put us through that? As I said, the least we expect is that apology for all that heartache they've given us.

The Mayor of Liverpool has organised a vigil on Wednesday evening to allow people of the city to show their support to the families. What message do you have for the many members of the public who are likely to come along to that?

I'm sure the members of the public have heard me in the past till this present day thanking them. The members of the public don't have to be at that vigil to show their support - we've had their support for 23 years. I do believe if we carry on further for the inquest to be changed, we will still get that support. I say to the Mayor, the chief executive of this city and everyone involved, I can't thank them enough for what they're doing for that vigil. To me, that is showing respect for the 96 and it's a good thing for the survivors who were there that day. I've also got to thank the likes of Maria Eagle, Derek Twigg, Andy Burnham, Steve Rotheram and George Howarth - he's had his own personal grief, but he's tried to do a lot for Hillsborough. They're all people we've got to thank besides all of the public, our city and everybody else - that's how we've got to where we are today. We'd have never achieved this on our own. We achieved it through all the ordinary people and they've got an awful lot to be proud of - and the 96 will be proud of them as well.

Finally, Margaret, you've fought so hard for so many years to, to use your words, 'remove the blanket that was thrown over Hillsborough' - what is it above everything else that has kept you going through all of this?

It's very difficult to answer that because there are so many things. I could start off by saying each and every one of the families who loved their loved one so much and knew it was a big injustice what happened. Then you've got all of the support from all of the people all over the world, the fans and the survivors. Our city itself has been a credit to us - I'm proud of the city and I can't thank the city and its people enough. They have been a credit to this city and all of us. We've got all of them to thank. For the 96 themselves, they did nothing wrong that day and to come home five days later in coffins, we've got to get it right for them. There are a lot of our families we've lost since Hillsborough and they were desperate to take the truth - we've got to do it for all of them who have gone as well as the 96. It's not just the 96, it's [also] the knock-on effect of what it's done to their families as well. We've got to do it for them. As I've said in the past, we are the voices, we are the ears and we are the eyes. We've had the crumbs, this time I think we're getting the whole loaf.