🔗 Share this article Ministers Rule Out Public Probe into Birmingham Bar Explosions Government officials have ruled out initiating a national investigation into the IRA's 1974-era Birmingham city pub attacks. The Horrific Attack Back on 21 November 1974, twenty-one civilians were lost their lives and 220 wounded when bombs were exploded at the Mulberry Bush pub and Tavern in the Town establishments in Birmingham, in an incident commonly accepted to have been carried out by the Irish Republican Army. Legal Consequences No one has been convicted for the attacks. In 1991, 6 defendants had their convictions quashed after enduring more than 16 years in detention in what stands as one of the gravest errors of justice in United Kingdom history. Relatives Fight for Truth Families have for years pushed for a national inquiry into the explosions to discover what the state knew at the moment of the incident and why no one has been prosecuted. Official Statement The minister for security, Dan Jarvis, announced on recently that while he had deep sympathy for the relatives, the administration had determined “after thorough consideration” it would not authorize an probe. Jarvis said the administration thinks the reconciliation commission, set up to examine fatalities connected to the Northern Ireland conflict, could examine the Birmingham incidents. Campaigners Respond Advocate Julie Hambleton, whose 18-year-old sister Maxine was killed in the attacks, said the announcement indicated “the government are indifferent”. The 62-year-old has for decades campaigned for a open probe and stated she and other bereaved relatives had “no desire” of engaging in the investigative panel. “There’s no genuine independence in the panel,” she said, noting it was “like them marking their own performance”. Requests for Document Disclosure For years, bereaved relatives have been requesting the publication of documents from government bodies on the attack – specifically on what the state knew prior to and following the incident, and what evidence there is that could bring about arrests. “The entire UK government system is resisting our relatives from ever knowing the facts,” she declared. “Exclusively a statutory judicial public investigation will give us entry to the files they assert they do not possess.” Legal Powers A statutory public investigation has particular judicial capabilities, including the authority to compel individuals to appear and disclose information connected to the investigation. Prior Inquest An inquest in 2019 – secured by bereaved families – ruled the victims were murdered by the IRA but did not establish the identities of those culpable. Hambleton commented: “The security services informed the presiding official that they have no files or information on what is still Britain's longest open atrocity of the last century, but at present they want to pressure us to participate of this investigative body to share information that they state has never been available”. Official Reaction Liam Byrne, the MP for Hodge Hill and Solihull North, described the government’s announcement as “extremely disheartening”. Through a statement on Twitter, Byrne said: “After such a long time, such immense pain, and countless disappointments” the loved ones deserve a process that is “impartial, court-supervised, with comprehensive capabilities and courageous in the search for the facts.” Ongoing Sorrow Discussing the families' persistent pain, Hambleton, who chairs the campaign group, stated: “Not a single family of any atrocity of any type will ever have closure. It is unattainable. The grief and the grief remain.”