UK Labor Party calls for public inquiry into Pat Finucane murder

THE UNITED KINGDOM WORKERS party has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “act without delay” and order a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane.

Finucane (39) was shot by loyal paramilitaries in front of his family in 1989 in the midst of allegations of collusion with the state security forces.

In February last year, the Supreme Court ruled that investigations into the lawyer’s fatal shooting had not been effective and did not comply with international human rights standards.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has indicated that a decision on how the Government will proceed will be announced next month.

Shadow Secretary of State Louise Haigh met with the Finucane family last week and pledged her support.

Haigh has now written to Johnson pressuring him to call a public inquiry.

“That this crime could occur in our country is shocking; that it has never been investigated with a legal standard is unjustifiable, “he wrote.

“The Secretary of State’s delay (in making a decision on compliance with the law) has compounded the insult.

“In my opinion, and in the long-standing vision of the Labor Party in and out of government, an independent public inquiry is the only mechanism left that can establish the full truth and deliver on promises made to the family.

“The long years that have passed since the ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement have served to show that unless justice is done and seen to be done, the wounds of the past simply cannot heal.

“Therefore, I urge you to act without delay.”