Announcement comes despite intense pressure for fresh investigation into 1989 death of Belfast solicitor

The British government has decided not to order a public inquiry into the 1989 murder of the Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, one of the most notorious killings of the Troubles, despite intense legal and political pressure.

Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, made the announcement on Monday in a devastating setback to a decades-long campaign for a fresh investigation into an attack found to have involved state collusion.

Supreme court says investigation into killing of Belfast solicitor was ineffective

The official investigation into the 1989 murder of the Belfast solicitor Patrick Finucane, one of the most notorious killings of the Troubles, was ineffective and failed to meet the required human rights standards, the supreme court has ruled.

In a unanimous judgment, five justices said the investigation carried out by Sir Desmond de Silva in 2011 was frustrated by his inability to compel witnesses to testify about the killing. The court did not, however, order a public inquiry and has left it up to the government to decide whether further investigation is needed.