Rising pressure on government to publish report on compensation for victims of Libya-IRA bombings

The government is facing widespread calls to release a report about compensating victims of Libya-IRA semtex bomb attacks.
By Philip Bradfield
Published 11th Jan 2021, 17:35 BST
Updated 11th Jan 2021, 17:37 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The government has so far refused to publish the report, which it appointed William Shawcross to write. He submitted it to government in May 2020.

Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Louise Haigh has said an “intolerable delay” in publication has left victims “feeling abandoned”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has warned it may force the government to publish the document.

The aftermath of the IRA bomb at Harrods department store in London in which six people were murdered in the busy run up to Christmas 1983The aftermath of the IRA bomb at Harrods department store in London in which six people were murdered in the busy run up to Christmas 1983
The aftermath of the IRA bomb at Harrods department store in London in which six people were murdered in the busy run up to Christmas 1983

Victims of semtex supplied to the IRA have been campaigning for the UK government to press Libya to compensate them in line with sums it paid to French, German and US victims of terror attacks it carried out.

Semtex supplied to the IRA by former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were used in the Enniskillen Poppy Day bombing in 1987 and the 1996 attack in London’s Docklands.

UUP peer Lord Empey backed calls for the report to be published.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“There is no question that the victims of Libyan sponsored terror – mainly delivered by the IRA – have been very shabbily treated by successive Governments for literally decades,” he said. “The failure to release the Shawcross report which they have had since May 2020 is simply the latest in a long line of failings.”

North Antrim MP Ian Paisley also pressed for the report to be published.

“Victims across the UK who suffered at the hands of weapons and explosives supplied to the IRA by Gaddafi remain without justice and have been denied access to the recommendations made by Mr Shawcross.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor