West Derby MP joining families of Chinook crash victims in calling for inquiry
A petition and hand-written letter will be handed to Downing Street
West Derby MP Ian Byrne is joining the families of those killed in a Chinook helicopter crash, as they call on the Prime Minister to launch a judge-led public inquiry.
25 intelligence experts and four special forces crew were killed when the helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre on 2 June 1994.
The incident was initially blamed on pilot error, but that was overturned in 2011.
A petition signed by more than 47,000 people will be handed in to Number 10, along with a handwritten letter.
Ian Byrne MP said:
"I fully support their calls for a judge-led inquiry.
"That was a game-changer at Hillsborough and we feel as though that it can be a game-changer for these families and those who have suffered since that tragic incident more than 30 years ago.
"The parallels with Hillsborough are uncanny and everything that we're doing around the Hillsborough Law, this is a campaign that certainly I feel, as the parliamentary lead for the Hillsborough Law Now Campaign, that it should be fully supported and I'll be there with Sorcha Eastwood, who has done a fantastic job, and other MPs in helping the families in their quest for justice and transparency.
"That's all they want and that's what I'll be supporting at Downing Street."
The families have published 110 'critical questions' they want answered about the tragedy - which include who authorised the mission, why the aircraft type was selected and whether those on board were warned of the risks.
An MOD spokesperson said:
"The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died. We understand that the lack of certainty about the cause of the crash has added to the distress of the families.
"We provided a detailed and considered response to the pre-action protocol letter stating the reasons why we cannot accept the demand for establishing a new Public Inquiry. It's unlikely that a Public Inquiry would identify any new evidence or reach new conclusions on the basis of existing evidence.
"The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent Judge-led review."