UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism: 2020 scoping report by the Foreign Secretary's Special Representative

The UK government is today, 20 October 2025, publishing previously withheld information from an internal investigation into Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism: the Shawcross report, which was written in 2020.

The purpose of the report was to gather information on the subject of compensation for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism. The regime's support enabled more sophisticated and deadly attacks in the 1980s and 1990s, including the Docklands, Baltic Exchange, Warrington, and Enniskillen bombings, which killed 18 people and injured hundreds.

The Shawcross Report was commissioned by the previous government as an internal report drawing on a series of private and confidential conversations. As such, it would not be appropriate to release the full report, and doing so could harm the UK's national interests. However, the government recognises the strong public interest in its findings and is therefore publishing key elements to demonstrate its commitment to transparency, support those affected, and provide greater clarity on the complex issues at hand.