PM agrees to meet Chinook families after decades-long campaign for answers

Jenni Balmer-Hornby, whose father Anthony died in the crash, said: “We are grateful to Tessa Munt MP for raising the Chinook case so powerfully in Prime Minister’s Questions and ensuring the voices of the families were heard directly by the Prime Minister.

“After more than three decades of unanswered questions, the Prime Minister’s agreement to meet is a significant and welcome step. 

“We hope that meeting takes place as quickly as possible, and marks the beginning of a meaningful process to finally deliver truth, transparency and accountability for the families.”

The RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre claimed 29 lives on June 2 1994. For years, the pilots were blamed for the crash before being formally cleared in 2011.

Despite that ruling, families have continued to campaign for the full disclosure of documents and a judge-led public inquiry, arguing that key questions about the circumstances surrounding the disaster remain unresolved.

The latest development follows a period of heightened tension between campaigners and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Earlier this month, families accused the MoD of showing “utter contempt” after it issued a public statement suggesting that no new evidence had emerged which would shed significant light on the cause of the crash.

Relatives said the comments contradicted assurances given during a meeting with government ministers in December – the first such talks with families in more than 30 years – where they were promised that newly compiled evidence would be properly reviewed.

Campaigners described the statement as “dismissive, dishonest and deceitful”, and said issuing it to the media rather than directly to families had caused “immense pain”.

In a letter sent to the Prime Minister at the time, they called for urgent intervention, warning they were being “repeatedly gaslit” and that their concerns were being misrepresented.

Central to the dispute is the families’ insistence that their campaign is not about determining the precise technical cause of the crash, but about the wider circumstances and decisions that led to it – including questions over the aircraft’s airworthiness.

They argue that framing the issue solely around the cause risks ignoring critical issues about accountability.

An MoD spokesperson previously said the department was focused on responding to an ongoing Judicial Review claim relating to the families’ call for a judge-led inquiry, and was unable to comment further at this stage.

The Chinook Justice Campaign said it now hopes the Prime Minister’s agreement to meet will break what it describes as a long-standing impasse, and lead to a clear timetable for the release of information and consideration of a full independent inquiry.