Relatives of the 29 service personnel killed in the 1994 RAF Chinook crash have called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to meet them during his first 100 days in office and commission a fresh, independent review into the disaster.
A High Court judge recently ruled that the Chinook Justice Campaign (CJC) could not pursue a legal claim against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) over the incident because the case was brought too late.
Background to the tragedy
The Chinook HC-2 helicopter crashed into the Mull of Kintyre in south-west Scotland on 2 June 1994 while flying from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland. All 29 military personnel on board died.
While the 2011 Mull of Kintyre inquiry overturned an earlier finding blaming the pilots, it did not establish the cause of the crash.
Campaign's legal setback
The CJC, representing more than 55 relatives of 25 victims, sought to challenge what they described as the MoD's “ongoing failure” to set up an “independent and effective investigation”. The High Court threw out the case on the grounds that the claim had been brought too late.
The CJC legal team has said it will take the case to the European Court of Human Rights. However, Matt Tobias, son of Lieutenant Colonel John Tobias who died in the crash, said the families “do not want years of further litigation”.
Appeal to the Prime Minister
Mr Tobias said the Prime Minister “has the power to prevent that” by ordering a fresh independent review. “We would urge Mr Burnham to meet us within his first 100 days in office so we can present the evidence that has emerged over recent years and explain why we believe a fresh review, independent of the Ministry of Defence, is now essential,” he said.
He added: “Mr Burnham’s speech in the House of Commons, in which he spoke about ending Britain’s cover-up culture and strengthening the duty of candour, gave our families real hope. We ask that he and his ministers give the Chinook families more respect than we received from his predecessor, who denied us a meeting and an inquiry – believing MoD lies instead.”
Demands and support
The CJC wants Mr Burnham to establish a review independent of the MoD with full access to all documents related to the airworthiness of the Chinook Mk2 helicopter and the circumstances leading up to the crash.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the families wrote: “Throughout your career you have argued that the State should never use its power to frustrate families seeking the truth. We respectfully suggest that the Chinook case now presents the first opportunity for your Government to demonstrate those principles in practice and should be the test case for Hillsborough Law.”
Hillsborough Law, which would create a legally enforceable duty of candour for public officials during investigations, was unanimously backed by MPs in the House of Commons this month.
The families have asked victims minister Alex Davies-Jones, reappointed last week, to take up their case as one of the test cases for the law.
Their appeal is backed by former Conservative defence secretary Sir Liam Fox, who has also written personally to Mr Burnham urging him to resolve the case.
The Chinook Justice Campaign has also written to new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, urging him to “begin correcting the mistakes of your predecessors”.
