UK: No Blair Peach inquiry
01 March 1999
Shortly before the twentieth anniversary of Blair Peach's death, Home Office minister Paul Boateng, ruled out an inquiry into the killing of Blair Peach, claiming that too much time had elapsed since his death. Blair died after receiving a baton blow to the head from a police officer during a protest against a National Front election meeting in Southall, west London, in April 1979 (see Statewatch vol 9 no 1). The Conservative Home Secretary refused an inquiry and an inquest into his death was derided as a blatant cover-up. Among those demanding an inquiry in 1979 was Jack Straw, now Home Secretary. Peach's partner at the time, Celia Stubbs, has campaigned to gain access to the unpublished police report on events and called for a public inquiry to investigate the killing. The Blair Peach Anniversary Committee held a march and rally attended by hundreds of people in Southall on April 24. The Committee is at 86 Bow Road, London E3 4DL.