🔗 Share this article Government Deny Public Inquiry into Birmingham Pub Explosions Ministers have rejected the idea of launching a national investigation into the IRA's 1974 Birmingham city pub explosions. This Devastating Incident On 21 November 1974, 21 individuals were killed and two hundred twenty wounded when explosive devices were detonated at the Mulberry Bush pub and Tavern in the Town pub establishments in Birmingham, in an incident largely thought to have been orchestrated by the Provisional IRA. Judicial Aftermath No one has been convicted for the bombings. Back in 1991, 6 men had their sentences quashed after serving over 16 years in jail in what remains one of the worst failures of justice in British history. Victims' Families Push for Justice Families have for decades fought for a national inquiry into the attacks to find out what the authorities knew at the moment of the tragedy and why not a single person has been prosecuted. Official Statement The minister for security, Dan Jarvis, stated on recently that while he had deep sympathy for the loved ones, the cabinet had determined “after detailed review” it would not commit to an investigation. Jarvis said the government thinks the newly established commission, established to examine deaths related to the Northern Ireland conflict, could look into the Birmingham incidents. Activists Express Disappointment Campaigner Julie Hambleton, whose teenage sister Maxine was killed in the explosions, said the decision showed “the government show no concern”. The 62-year-old has for years pushed for a open investigation and stated she and other grieving families had “no intention” of taking part in the commission. “We see no genuine impartiality in the panel,” she said, adding it was “equivalent to them grading their own work”. Requests for Document Release For decades, bereaved loved ones have been requesting the publication of files from security services on the event – especially on what the government knew before and following the incident, and what proof there is that could lead to legal action. “The whole UK government system is against our families from ever discovering the facts,” she declared. “Only a official judicial public probe will give us access to the files they assert they don’t have.” Legal Capabilities A official open inquiry has specific official powers, encompassing the authority to oblige participants to appear and reveal information associated with the inquiry. Prior Investigation An hearing in 2019 – campaigned for grieving families – determined the those killed were murdered by the Provisional IRA but failed to identify the identities of those responsible. Hambleton commented: “Intelligence agencies informed the coroner at the time that they have zero files or evidence on what remains England’s longest unresolved mass murder of the 1900s, but at present they aim to push us down the route of this investigative body to provide details that they state has not been present”. Political Reaction Liam Byrne, the MP for the Birmingham area, described the government’s ruling as “extremely unsatisfactory”. Through a message on Twitter, Byrne stated: “Following so much period, so much pain, and numerous let-downs” the loved ones deserve a mechanism that is “independent, judge-led, with full powers and courageous in the quest for the reality.” Continuing Sorrow Discussing the families' persistent pain, Hambleton, who chairs the Justice 4 the 21, stated: “No family of any tragedy of any sort will ever have closure. It is unattainable. The suffering and the sorrow continue.”