'Act now' over 1974 pub bombings, MPs demand

Calls on the home secretary to "act now" and order a judge-led public inquiry into the Birmingham pub bombings have come from the city's MPs.

Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Hodge Hill and Solihull North, led a debate on Wednesday calling for the inquiry into the bombings which killed 21 people and injured 220.

The attacks saw the IRA detonate bombs at the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town on 21 November 1974.

Dan Jarvis, Home Office minister, said the impact of the atrocities remained "vivid and raw", adding: "The home secretary is considering advice and is determined to provide an answer to the families and victims as soon as possible."

Byrne said the innocent Birmingham Six served 16 years in prison before their 1991 release, adding: "To this day, not one person has been brought to justice."

He criticised the 2019 inquest and said the question of who bombed Birmingham was ruled out of scope, adding that witnesses admitted they knew who was responsible but no-one had been compelled to testify.

While the IRA never officially admitted responsibility, it is widely believed to have been behind the attacks.

The 2019 inquest ruled the victims were unlawfully killed by the IRA but did not determine the identities of those responsible.

Paulette Hamilton, Erdington Labour MP, called for "an independent public inquiry that includes the effective participation of the relatives as a matter of urgency".

Northfield Labour MP Laurence Turner raised concerns that, after 51 years, memories were fading, documents were at risk of destruction and the chance of holding those responsible to account was fading.

He said: "We may not be out of time, but time is running out."

Byrne replied: "That is why it is time to act now."

Jarvis confirmed the recent Legacy Act did not prevent a public inquiry but he said the bombings were eligible for investigation by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), set up by the act.

"I have full confidence that the commission and its team of dedicated staff have the sufficient powers, resources and expertise to support the families," he said.

Julie Hambleton, who set up the Justice for the 21 families' campaign, said the inquest "left more questions than it provided answers" and its scope had made truth and justice "impossible".

Ms Hambleton, who lost her sister Maxine, said a judge-led public inquiry could compel witnesses to give evidence.

She added: "It will give us access to documents that, for the past 50 years, we've been told do not exist, and we know for a fact that they do."

A statutory public inquiry is a formal investigation which has specific legal powers, including the power to require witnesses to attend and to disclose information related to the inquiry's work. It can be led by a judge.

In June, the legal firm KRW Law, representing the families, served pre-action correspondence on the Home Office, setting out the need for an inquiry.

Associate solicitor Barry O Donnell said the only legal process that could deal with the issues was an inquiry, adding: "Any attempt to shoehorn the families into a third-rate justice recovery process within ICRIR will not be tolerated."

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