March 30th 1979: Airey Neave killed
On this day in 1979, the Shadow Secretary for Northern Ireland Airey Neave was assassinated by a car bomb aged 63. Neave had served during World War Two, where he earned distinction for escaping from a German prisoner of war camp. He was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Abingdon in 1953, and in the mid 1970s helped lead the effort to instil Margaret Thatcher as party leader. At the time of Neave’s death, the Conservatives were the opposition party to the Labour government of James Callaghan. However, Callaghan’s leadership was crumbling, having lost a vote of no confidence two days prior to Neave’s death. This left the Conservative party poised to win the upcoming election, which would have elevated Neave to the cabinet. Neave was known for his tough, anti-IRA policies, which invoked the ire of Republican paramilitary groups in Ireland. As the politician was leaving the House of Commons car park, a bomb attached to his car exploded, and he subsequently died from his injuries after being rushed to Westminster Hospital. The noise from the explosion could be heard in the Commons, which led to a suspension of proceedings as MPs rushed to the windows to see what had happened. The terrorist Irish National Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the murder. The group issued a statement which declared that Neave had “got a taste of his own medicine” when the group “blew him to bits”, and that his death was a loss only to the “British ruling class”. The incident occurred at the height of ‘the Troubles’, which saw conflict in Northern Ireland over the country’s relationship to Britain. Despite the Irish terrorist group claiming responsibility, conspiracy theories about Neave’s death have abounded in the United Kingdom.
“He was one of freedom’s warriors”
- Thatcher upon Neave’s death
