The British House of Lords yesterday voted for a new all-party inquiry into the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash in which four RAF crewmen, including two pilots, and 25 anti-terrorism experts and RUC personnel were killed, writes Rachel Donnelly.
Peers voted 132 to 106 in favour of establishing a Select Committee in the Lords to investigate the circumstances of the crash on the Mull of Kintyre, which a report by two air-marshals concluded was due to the "gross negligence" of the pilots.
The families of FlightLieuts Jonathan Tapper and Rick Cook, and several political figures, have campaigned for a fresh inquiry into the crash, insisting that doubts raised over the Chinook's performance introduced an element of doubt about the verdict.
The British government has said it will not establish an inquiry into the crash unless fresh evidence emerges. The Defence Minister, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, told peers: "Nothing has been or is being hidden because there really is nothing to hide." However, she indicated that the government would not oppose Lord Chalfont's proposal that the select committee should have a "limited remit" to consider the crash.