Birmingham pub bombings: PM calls for public inquiry | News – Hits Radio (Birmingham) – Hits Radio Birmingham

Ahead of the 50th memorial, we asked the Prime Minister if there would be a public inquiry

Next month will mark the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham pub bombings, which killed 21 people and injured more than 200.

Two bombs exploded in the city centre, at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern pubs in the city, resulting in one of the biggest single losses of life during the Troubles.

Five decades after that night, November 21, 1974, no one has been convicted of the attacks.

We asked the prime minister if he would hold a public inquiry into the attacks, for which the victims’ relatives continue to campaign.

Prem: ‘They didn’t get the justice they deserved’

Sir Keir Starmer said: “Our first thoughts are of course with the victims, it’s been a long time. It’s been a long time that they suffered so much and didn’t get the justice they deserve.

“My deepest sympathies go out to the families of those killed and injured and to those bereaved as a result of what happened in Birmingham and more broadly as a result of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

“The decision whether or not to conduct an investigation must obviously be made after careful consideration of a range of case-specific factors.”

Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine was among the 21 people killed in the Birmingham pub bombings, runs the Justice4the21 campaign.

The group is calling for a public inquiry following the conclusion of investigations carried out in 2019.

Ms Hambleton said: “We are fighting and still waiting for a decision on a statutory public inquiry. This is what the Hillsborough families had.

“They can give these public inquiries to all these other families, quite rightly, those families have every right to a public inquiry. But where is ours?’

The Crown Prosecution Service decided last year that no criminal charges would be brought over the pub bombings due to “insufficient evidence”.

Prosecutors said they could not identify who planted the bombs.

West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said any “fresh evidence” would be investigated.

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