SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP has welcomed an announcement made by the British Government that they will hold a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.

Mr Eastwood wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month urging him to call a public inquiry in order to fulfil the British Government’s obligations under the agreement made at Weston Park and to meet the terms of the Court of Appeal ruling in Belfast in July this year.

Colum Eastwood MP said:

“I welcome the decisive intervention made by the Labour Government today. Calling a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane is long overdue but it remains the right and just course of action.

“Geraldine and her family have been forced to fight for an Article 2 compliant investigation into Pat’s murder for far too long. Despite clear commitments entered into under agreements reached at Weston Park and the recommendations of Judge Peter Cory, they have been badly let down by successive governments that have reneged on promises and instead deliberately and agonisingly delayed truth and justice. It is a story that is far too familiar to victims and survivors from every community.

“Last month I wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging him to act following the significant Court of Appeal ruling in Belfast. I am pleased for Geraldine and her family that they will now get the investigation they should have had decades ago.

“This must be a turning point for legacy investigations. It should be the moment where we agree to deal with the past comprehensively and ethically. The SDLP remains committed to that position and we will engage with the government in good faith as they consult on the way forward for legacy investigations. We cannot fail victims and survivors again."