On November 21 1974, the heart of Britain’s second city was blown apart when two bombs were detonated in the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town in Birmingham City Centre.
Twenty-one innocent lives were lost. Over 200 injured. They were sons and daughters. Brothers and sisters. Murdered in the deadliest terrorist atrocity on British soil before 7/7.
And yet, to this day, no one has been brought to justice. Not one person.
That is why this month, I asked for and led a debate in the House of Commons to make one simple: it’s time — time for a statutory, judge-led public inquiry into the Birmingham pub bombings. Time to lift the veil on the biggest unsolved mass murder in British history.
We know who planted the bombs: members of the Provisional IRA. We know a warning was phoned in — late, chaotic, fatal. We know six innocent men — the Birmingham Six — were tortured, framed, jailed for sixteen years before their convictions were finally quashed in 1991.
We know the families were lied to by police and politicians alike.
And yet, when the inquests finally resumed in 2019, the coroner ruled out the most vital question of all: Who bombed Birmingham? The jury concluded the victims were unlawfully killed by the IRA — but who exactly carried out the attack? That remains an unanswered question.
Let me be clear. This is not a cry for revenge. This is a call for justice — for truth, for accountability, for the basic right to know that our system of law works for the many, not just the powerful.
For 13 years, the families of the 21 — led with dignity by Julie and Brian Hambleton — have battled for the truth. They have met Ministers, fought legal battles, raised money, campaigned in Parliament and beyond. And still, they face a wall of silence, broken promises, and bureaucratic delay.
They were told they couldn’t have legal aid. They were told their case wasn’t part of the Troubles. They were told to wait for West Midlands Police — a force that failed then and has failed since. They were told to be quiet.
But they will not be quiet. And nor should we.
We must ask: why no public inquiry? The victims of Hillsborough got justice — after 27 years.
The Post Office scandal, the Grenfell fire, the infected blood scandal — all rightly subject to public inquiry. Why not us?
On the floor of the Commons I said there must be no more excuses. A public inquiry is not a legal technicality. It is a national act of conscience — it is how a democracy apologises with honesty. It is how we say to the families: *you matter, your loved ones mattered — and they will not be forgotten.*
With every year that passes, memories fade, witnesses die, and the trail of truth grows cold.
The Home Secretary has the power. The families have waited long enough. Justice delayed is justice denied.