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The home secretary has told the Commons the government will not seek to block publication of cabinet minutes relating to the Hillsborough disaster.
A campaign asking for the release of all the cabinet documents about Margaret Thatcher's discussions on the 1989 tragedy has received huge public support.
Overcrowding at the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest FA cup semi-final football match at Hillsborough Stadium led to the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans.
In a debate calling for the "full disclosure of all government-related documents" relating to the disaster, Theresa May praised the work of the Hillsborough independent panel.
She said "the dignity of the families must be matched by the dignity of this process".
"The government's position has nothing to do with attempting to suppress these papers," May said.
May explained that the government will release documents to the panel first, so that none of them will be "filtered by politicians or the press".
"We want to see full disclosure," she told the House.
She said unredacted cabinet papers, including minutes of cabinet meetings, have already been made available and the government will not stop them being published if and when the panel and the families decide to do so.
May said some "minimal redaction" may be required to protect "sensitive private and personal information relation to victims".
"The families of the 96 deserve the truth," he said.
"The disaster and its aftermath inflicted deep wounds that remain to this day on Merseyside – this is why the government supports this motion."
Shadow health minister Andy Burnham, who has fought for full disclosure for several years, answered for the opposition.
He said nearly 140,000 people had signed a petition calling for the matter to be debated in parliament and support had come from all sides of the House and "supporters of all football clubs".
Burnham said "the first damaging lie" about the behaviour of Liverpool fans came from the police officer in charge. It was the start of "a brutal campaign to set public opinion against the victims".
He called on News International to reveal what sources they had for their news reports.
The Sun newspaper is still vilified in Liverpool for printing lies that Liverpool fans had urinated on police officers and pick-pocketed the dead.
Burnham also admitted the last Labour government "had not done enough to help those families", but he had argued for full disclosure.
The debate was opened with an emotional speech from Labour MP Steve Rotherham, a former lord mayor of Liverpool.
He thanked the "nearly 100 MPs from nine separate political parties" who supported his application to the backbench business committee for the debate.
"This is a victory for democracy, a victory for people power, but it remains to be seen if it will be a victory for the families."
Rotherham told the House that no-one has been held to account for the disaster at Hillsborough.
"I call on the prime minister to make a statement in this House and apologise for the mistakes that were made and the mishandling of this whole tragedy on behalf of a previous government," he said.
"I would also ask him to join me in pushing for the disclosure of the senior police officer and the Conservative MP who allegedly leaked the story to the press."
He added: "It doesn't matter how long it takes, we will never stop fighting for justice for the 96."
Rotherham said the families of the victims have been let down so many times "they will not be surprised if there are those that would prefer for this to simply just go away".
"For those that foolishly believe that this might be a potential outcome from tonight's debate, let me make it absolutely clear from the start: this issue will never just go away - not until there is justice for the 96."
He also attacked the Sun editor responsible for the infamous story on Hillsborough, Kelvin McKenzie.
"This (the story) was one of the cruellest blows, and it beggars belief that certain sections of the media still give airtime to this most despicable man … who dehumanised the deaths of 96 people for a cheap headline – what an absolute hypocrite".
MPs broke with Commons tradition and applauded after Rotherham read out the names of the victims.
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