Richard Madeley was forced to take a brief break to compose himself on Monday’s episode of Good Morning Britain after an emotional interview with relatives who lost loved ones in the Hillsborough disaster.

The presenter, 69, was joined by co-host Susanna Reid, 54, as the programme marked a historic day for the bereaved families, who have campaigned for decades to secure justice for the 97 Liverpool fans killed in the 1989 tragedy.

The Hillsborough Law – designed to compel public officials to tell the truth during investigations into major disasters – was set to be introduced to Parliament on Tuesday, in what campaigners hailed as a landmark moment.

The law comes after years of anguish for those left behind following the fatal crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium.

Families spent decades battling to clear the names of the supporters, after police falsely blamed fans for the disaster and covered up the failings of senior officers.

Appearing live from outside Downing Street, fresh from a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, two campaigners shared their stories.

Richard Madeley had to take brief break to compose himself on Monday’s episode of Good Morning Britain after an emotional interview

The presenter, 69, was joined by co-host Susanna Reid, 54, as the programme marked a historic day for the bereaved families of Liverpool fans killed in the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy

Margret Aspinall, who lost her 18-year-old son James, and Charlotte Hennessey, who was just six when her father Jimmy died, spoke movingly to Richard and Susanna about the significance of the day.

‘I can barely imagine what you must be feeling,’ Richard said. ‘This has been coming for such a long time, but finally the day is here. You’ve done it! How do you feel?’

Margret responded: ‘We’ve had to campaign for so many years. Raising funds for our loved ones to go through all the courts.

‘No family should have to do that. We should never have had to fight. Today is a day of celebration, because we have done things that are monumental. It’s history.’

While she acknowledged there was still work to be done, Margret said the legislation represented a moment of triumph.

Charlotte admitted that there were times she had felt like giving up, as the fight had been long and draining.

‘We have persisted, we’ve stuck by our morals and have made it very clear that we would only commit and endorse a Hillsborough Law in its entirety,’ she said.

She continued: ‘Today is a testament. It almost acknowledges that the lies told by the then 1989 Superintendent [David Duckenfield] his officers, and all of those that were party to the coverup, those lies were so despicable, that we fought to change the law.

Appearing live from outside Downing Street, fresh from a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, two campaigners shared their stories

The hosts were visibly moved, and Richard told viewers it was ‘marvellous’ to witness the difference the families had made

‘And I feel really empowered by that we have been able to make a significant change for the good people of this country and nobody ever has to go what we’ve been through.’

Margret added: ‘We never thought we’d get this far. We really didn’t. There were times we all wanted to walk away from this but we knew we had to change it for the good of the people, the good of the nation. And we are proud of what we achieved so far.’

Visibly moved, Richard told viewers it was ‘marvellous’ to witness the difference the families had made.

‘We’ll just take two or three minutes to compose ourselves, and then we will be back talking about this further and some of the other stories,’ he said before the programme cut to a break.

Earlier in the broadcast, political commentators Andrew Pierce and Kevin Maguire reflected on the campaigners’ achievement. They said: ‘They should not have had to go through what they have. I felt inspired and teary. It’s a fantastic victory.’