Hillsborough debate: Alison McGovern on why she had to make her emotionally-charged speech (VIDEO)

Oct 19 2011 by Ian Hernon, Liverpool Echo

Wirral South MP Alison McGovern during the Hillsborough Documents Debate

THE emotional reaction of Alison McGovern during the Hillsborough debate touched a public nerve way beyond Merseyside.

Today she told the ECHO: “I’m not an overly-emotional person and I can’t remember the last time I cried except on this issue.

“It remains such a raw issue for everyone regardless of whether they were in Sheffield that afternoon.”

That has been particularly true for Ms McGovern over the past five years since her grandfather, folk singer and lifelong Reds fan, Pete McGovern died.

The public’s reaction to her speech was shown on the ECHO’s website, which was flooded by live response from people who wanted to hug her and empathised with her heart displayed firmly on her sleeve - watch Alison's full speech here (move the time cursor along to 20:48:52).

After the debate she was seen virtually apologising to Hillsborough families for crying, not realising then the reaction outside the Commons Chamber.

In the debate she recalled as an eight-year-old watching TV with her dad, railway engineer Mike, in their Bromborough home.

She said in the Commons: “I can still see the look on his face now, because he knew what was happening. Football fans all over Britain knew. They were watching on TV, listening on radios from other football grounds.