THE British government has been urged to apologise to the victims of Bloody Sunday and to hold an independent inquiry into the killings in a cross party motion in the House of Commons last night.
The motion - tabled by a former Conservative Northern Ireland Minister, Mr Peter Bottomley MP, and a Labour MP, Mr Harry Barnes - is expected to gain widespread support. It is understood that at least 11 Labour MPs have already signed the motion.
Noting that January 30th will be the 25th anniversary off Bloody Sunday, during which 14 people were killed by British soldiers, and that new evidence has revealed the unarmed civilians may have been shot at by troops on Derry's walls, the motion calls on the British government to "say sorry to the relatives of those who were killed".
The two MPs also urged the government to "waive the 30 year rule on relevant historical documents and to institute an independent inquiry with independent British, Irish and other historians to investigate these new claims and to examine the outcome of the Widgery Tribunal".
Such actions would, the motion suggests, "not only bring comfort to the families of those killed but would also help undermine the ruthless way in which the Provisional IRA has hypocritically exploited Bloody Sunday for its propaganda purposes by putting a line under this tragic event".
Earlier this week, the shadow minister on the North's economy, Mr Eric Illesly, said he was concerned" by the new evidence and hoped to raise the issue with his colleagues, "in the run up to the election ... to see whether we should support a call for another inquiry".