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Ministers have ruled out initiating a open probe into the IRA's 1974 Birmingham city bar attacks.

This Devastating Attack

On 21 November 1974, twenty-one individuals were murdered and two hundred twenty injured when explosive devices were detonated at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pub venues in Birmingham, in an incident commonly accepted to have been orchestrated by the Provisional IRA.

Judicial Fallout

Not a single person has been found guilty over the incidents. In 1991, six defendants had their sentences reversed after spending more than 16 years in prison in what is considered one of the gravest failures of the legal system in British history.

Relatives Fight for Justice

Relatives have long campaigned for a open investigation into the attacks to uncover what the state knew at the time of the tragedy and why no one has been held accountable.

Government Decision

The minister for security, Dan Jarvis, said on recently that while he had deep compassion for the loved ones, the administration had concluded “after thorough consideration” it would not establish an probe.

Jarvis said the administration considers the reconciliation commission, set up to look into deaths associated with the Northern Ireland conflict, could examine the Birmingham bombings.

Advocates React

Advocate Julie Hambleton, whose 18-year-old sister Maxine was murdered in the bombings, said the decision demonstrated “the government don't care”.

The 62-year-old has for decades pushed for a open investigation and stated she and other grieving relatives had “no intention” of taking part in the commission.

“There’s no true impartiality in the body,” she stated, explaining it was “like them assessing their own homework”.

Demands for Document Disclosure

Over the years, bereaved families have been requesting the disclosure of papers from security services on the event – especially on what the state was aware of before and after the bombing, and what evidence there is that could bring about prosecutions.

“The entire UK government system is against our relatives from ever knowing the truth,” she stated. “Solely a legally mandated judge-directed public probe will grant us access to the papers they assert they don’t have.”

Official Powers

A statutory open investigation has distinct official authorities, such as the ability to compel participants to appear and reveal details related to the investigation.

Previous Investigation

An inquest in 2019 – fought for grieving families – determined the victims were illegally slain by the Provisional IRA but failed to identify the names of those accountable.

Hambleton stated: “The security services informed the then coroner that they have zero records or evidence on what continues to be England’s longest unsolved atrocity of the 20th century, but now they intend to pressure us to engage of this investigative body to provide evidence that they state has never been available”.

Official Response

Liam Byrne, the MP for Hodge Hill and Solihull North, labeled the government’s ruling as “extremely unsatisfactory”.

In a announcement on Twitter, Byrne said: “Following so much time, such immense pain, and countless let-downs” the families deserve a procedure that is “autonomous, judge-led, with comprehensive authorities and fearless in the pursuit for the truth.”

Continuing Pain

Discussing the families' enduring sorrow, Hambleton, who leads the campaign group, remarked: “No family of any horror of any type will ever have resolution. It doesn’t exist. The suffering and the sorrow continue.”