🔗 Share this article Ministers Deny Public Investigation into Birmingham Bar Attacks Authorities have rejected the idea of establishing a open investigation into the IRA's 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. The Tragic Attack Back on 21 November 1974, twenty-one civilians were killed and two hundred twenty hurt when bombs were exploded at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pub venues in Birmingham, in an attack commonly accepted to have been carried out by the Irish Republican Army. Legal Consequences Not a single person has been found guilty for the incidents. Back in 1991, 6 individuals had their convictions overturned after serving over 16 years in detention in what remains one of the worst failures of justice in British history. Families Campaign for Truth Families have long campaigned for a public investigation into the explosions to discover what the government was aware of at the time of the incident and why not a single person has been prosecuted. Official Decision The minister for security, Dan Jarvis, said on Thursday that while he had sincere compassion for the families, the government had decided “after careful consideration” it would not commit to an investigation. Jarvis said the authorities believes the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, set up to investigate fatalities associated with the Troubles, could examine the Birmingham incidents. Campaigners Express Disappointment Campaigner Julie Hambleton, whose teenage sister Maxine was killed in the explosions, commented the announcement showed “the authorities show no concern”. The 62-year-old has for years fought for a open inquiry and said she and other grieving relatives had “no intention” of taking part in the commission. “We see no true impartiality in the panel,” she remarked, noting it was “tantamount to them assessing their own work”. Calls for Document Disclosure Over the years, bereaved relatives have been requesting the release of documents from intelligence agencies on the attack – specifically on what the state knew prior to and following the bombing, and what proof there is that could result in arrests. “The whole British establishment is resisting our families from ever knowing the reality,” she said. “Solely a statutory judicial public probe will provide us entry to the papers they assert they don’t have.” Official Capabilities A legally mandated public probe has specific legal powers, encompassing the authority to compel witnesses to testify and reveal information related to the investigation. Previous Hearing An inquest in 2019 – secured by bereaved relatives – concluded the victims were murdered by the IRA but did not determine the names of those responsible. Hambleton stated: “Intelligence agencies told the then coroner that they have no files or evidence on what is still the UK's longest open multiple killing of the 1900s, but at present they intend to force us down the route of this Legacy Commission to disclose information that they claim has never been available”. Official Reaction Liam Byrne, the Member of Parliament for Hodge Hill and Solihull North, described the government’s decision as “extremely unsatisfactory”. Through a statement on Twitter, Byrne wrote: “Following so much time, so much suffering, and so many failures” the families are entitled to a procedure that is “impartial, judge-led, with full powers and fearless in the quest for the truth.” Continuing Sorrow Discussing the family’s persistent pain, Hambleton, who heads the campaign group, stated: “No family of any horror of any type will ever have closure. It is unattainable. The pain and the grief remain.”