CAB128-94_A1b — Page 153

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in the Commons, and he would be discussing with the Government's Business Managers how they could best be handled when the Bill returned there.

NFIDENTIA

THE PRIME MINISTER, summing up a brief discussion, said that the Government's policy on the issues had been carefully arrived at and was a fair one. Consideration should be given to how the defeats could be reversed when the Bill returned to the Commons.

Secretary of State for the Environment should discuss the forward with the Business Managers.

The Cabinet

2.

Took note, with approval, of the Prime Minister's summing up of its discussion and invited the Secretary of State for the Environment to discuss with the Government's Business Managers the further handling of the Bill.

ON

ME AFFAIRS

A p

ildford

Our Case

2. THE HOME SECRETARY said that following an investigation by the Avon and Somerset Police, the Crown had decided that the conviction in 1975 of our people for the Guildford and Woolwich bombings had been unsafe and on 19 October the convictions had been quashed by the cor of Appeal. Following consultation with the Attorney-General and other senior colleagues, he had invited Sir John May to a an inquiry into the circumstances of the case and the mass of criticisms which were now being directed at its handling.

In the wake of the Court of App decision there had been a number of claims that the convictios of six people for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings were also unsafe. In July this year the Chief Constable of the West Midlands had disbanded the Serious Crime Squad of his force following concern about a number of recent cases involving the squad. Although the squad was the same one that had been involved in the Firmingham pub bombings investigation 15 years before, there was no reason to suppose that the earlier investigation was in any way ainted. Only one member of the squad when it was disbanded had been a member during that investigation. The subsequent cons had been supported by forensic evidence as well as confessions made by the accused. Crucially, the case had been extense considered by the Court of Appeal in 1987, which had the original verdict. Although he was being pressed to reopen the case again, there was no new material which could pa any basis for doing so.

stained

ENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

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