Thatcher ‘convinced’ Birmingham Six had no grounds for appeal
Haughey’s request for clemency for the six men in 1988 was rebuffed by Thatcher
The Birmingham Six after their release in London in 1991, with Chris Mullin (centre, with scarf) outside the Old Bailey. File photograph: Joe St Leger
A request by taoiseach Charles Haughey in 1988 for clemency for the Birmingham Six was rebuffed immediately by British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
Three years before the convictions were quashed, leading to compensation for the six men, Thatcher told Haughey she was “totally convinced” by a 1988 court ruling rejecting their grounds for appeal.