A security force cover-up of a loyalist pub bombing that killed 15 people in 1971 is to be raised at Westminster tomorrow.
Northern Ireland secretary of state Shaun Woodward has already apologised in a letter to Scottish MP Michael Connarty whose great uncle was killed in the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) attack on McGurk's bar in north Belfast.
Investigators from the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) probing cases from the Troubles discovered British military officials at the time falsely claimed the explosion was an IRA "own-goal".
Speaking ahead of the case being raised in the House of Commons Mr Woodward said his apology reflected his concern for all those who died in the Troubles.
Two children and three women were among those killed in the attack. Eye-witness evidence pointed to loyalist involvement, but the British Army claimed the blast was caused when an IRA bomb being prepared in the pub exploded prematurely. The accusation angered bereaved families who have campaigned for decades to clear the names of those killed.
Documents recently emerged to show that military advisers told politicians the bomb was in the hands of one of the customers and urged them to make this public. But the HET dismissed the Army comments from the time: "It was an irresponsible and inaccurate piece, which could not be based on facts but instead reflected a desired outcome."
Seven years after the attack a member of the UVF received 15 life sentences after he was convicted for the bombing.
PA