The British government has ordered an independent inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane more than 35 years ago.
Secretary of State Hilary Benn confirmed the Labour government had taken the “exceptional” decision to hold the long-awaited inquiry in a statement at Westminster on Wednesday.
Mr Finucane (39) was shot dead in front of his wife and three children by the UDA/UFF at his family home in north Belfast in February 1989.
In 2004 loyalist Ken Barrett was convicted for his part in the murder.
In 2012, former Prime Minister David Cameron apologised after a report by Desmond de Silva found there was collusion in the case.
Since his murder Mr Finucane’s family has fought for a full public inquiry to uncover the scale of security force collusion in the murder, which is one of the most notorious killings carried out during the Troubles.
In 2019 the UK Supreme Court ruled that investigations into the killing of the solicitor have not been effective and fell short of international human rights standards.
A year later the British government again refused a public inquiry into the murder.
In July this year the Court of Appeal in Belfast gave the London government three weeks to confirm how it would carry out an investigation into the killing that was compliant with Article Two of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to life.
Just last week the court extended the timeline by three weeks, to September 27, to allow the new Labour government time to announce what form any new investigation would take.
Mr Finucane’s widow Geraldine and other family members, including his son John Finucane, who is a Sinn Féin MP for North Belfast, met with Mr Benn on Tuesday.
Speaking at the dispatch box at Westminster on Wednesday Mr Benn outlined the background to the Finucane case and claimed the British government “takes its human rights obligations - and its responsibilities to victims and survivors of the Troubles - extremely seriously”.
“And the plain fact is that two decades on, the commitment made by the government – first in an agreement with the Irish government, and then to this House - to establish an inquiry into the death of Mr Finucane remains unfulfilled,” he said.
“It is for this exceptional reason that I have decided to establish an independent inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane under the 2005 Inquiries Act.”
Mr Benn confirmed that he updated the Finucane family, who have campaigned tirelessly, earlier this week.
The Labour politician addressed the issue of costs.
“It is the government’s expectation that the inquiry will - while doing everything that is required to discharge the State’s human rights obligations - avoid unnecessary costs given all the previous reviews and investigations, and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain,” he said.
He also said that as part of his “decision making process” he considered whether to refer Mr Finucane’s case to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
The contentious body was established under the Conservative Party’s Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, which ended all inquests and civil cases, as well as introducing conditional immunity.
Many victims, and relatives of those who died during the Troubles, are strongly opposed to the ICRIR, believing it to be part of British government attempts to protect state participants from accountability.
The British government has vowed to repeal and replace the Legacy Act, although Mr Benn has said the ICRIR will be retained.
During his Commons statement the secretary of state said he has “every confidence in its ability, under the leadership of Sir Declan Morgan, to find answers for survivors”.
South Belfast MP Claire Hanna, who is expected to be confirmed as the SDLP’s next leader next month, said the murder of Mr Finucane “remains one of the most devastating killings of the troubles and is marred in collusion”.
“Today is about the tenacity of the Finucane family, including my constituency neighbour John, but has resonance for all those involved with the legacy process - the needs of victims and survivors must take precedent over the needs of victim makers, who wish the past to remain covered up,” she said.
“The SDLP have long supported the Finucane family in their efforts for a public inquiry and remain steadfast in support of all victims of the Troubles in their efforts for truth and justice.
“No actor in our past has a right to shut down truth and justice to any victim.”
