No inquiry into 1974 IRA Birmingham pub bombings

The government has announced it will not launch a public inquiry into the IRA’s 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.

In the attacks, bombs exploded in Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town bars on November 21, 1974, killing 21 people and injuring 220 people.

The murders remain unsolved. The convictions of six men, called the Birmingham Six, who were wrongfully imprisoned for crimes in 1975, were overturned in 1991 when the Court of Appeal ruled that they were unsafe.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said on Thursday that although he had deep sympathy for the families, “after careful consideration” the government would not launch an investigation.

He said this was the government’s “firm belief”. Current Independent Reconciliation and Information Recovery Commission can investigate the incident effectively.

Julie Hambleton’s sister Maxine was among the 21 people killed in the bombing.

Reacting to the announcement, he told the BBC: “I will fight for justice as long as there is breath in my body.”

She had previously said a failure to hold the inquiry would be “the epitome of moral and ethical turpitude”, adding only an inquiry would reveal the truth.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in September that the victims’ families would “never be forgotten” but that the cases would be dealt with under a new succession plan agreed with the Irish government.

Although the IRA has never officially accepted responsibility, it is believed to be behind the attacks.

An inquest in 2019 found the victims were unlawfully killed by the IRA but did not identify those responsible.

Mr Jarvis said the current commission was set up solely to investigate cases related to the Troubles and operated independently of the government.

“The Commission has been given a wide range of powers over access to information, including from government departments, police, security and intelligence agencies,” the statement said.