Political assassinations are rare in Britain, especially in our current day and age. However, several noteworthy politically charged assassinations in Britain have left a mark on history. These assassinations have reflected a variety of issues within the UK. From political conflict to extremist violence, these assassinations are imprinted on British history, also leaving a trail of grief behind them.
This article looks at some of the most well-known British political assassinations and digs deeper into the causes.
1. Sir David Amess (2021)
Sir David Amess was a Conservative MP who was stabbed multiple times at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex. The assailant was 25-year-old Ali Harbi Ali.
Ali was thought to have been motivated by extremist views related to ISIS support and disdain for the UK’s foreign policy and stance on the Syrian conflict.
Amess’s death was hugely shocking, as he was known for always dedicating himself to public service and tackling issues such as animal welfare.
2. Jo Cox (2016)
Jo Cox was a Labour MP when she was murdered in Birstall, where she was meant to be holding a constituency surgery just before the Brexit referendum. Cox was stabbed and shot several times by Thomas Mair, a far-right extremist. His motivations were his extremism as well as his anti-immigration views.
Cox’s death shocked the country, as she was well-known as an advocate for humanitarian causes and social justice. She had worked for charities such as the NSPCC and Oxfam before she entered politics.
3. Sir Anthony Berry (1984)
Sir Anthony Berry was a Conservative MP under Margaret Thatcher, serving for two decades before being killed by the Provisional IRA in the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing.
The IRA planted a bomb in the Grand Brighton Hotel when a Conservative Party Conference was being held. Margaret Thatcher was one of the key figures targeted, but she was not harmed.
Berry is just one of several politicians on this list killed by the IRA. British politicians were targeted due to the severity of The Troubles which occurred from 1968 to 1998.
4. Ian Gow (1990)
Ian Gow was a Conservative MP killed by the IRA with a car bomb planted outside his East Sussex home in 1990.
The IRA targeted Gow due to his criticism of Irish nationalism. His assassination was viewed as a direct response to the British government’s views on Northern Ireland. Nobody was ever charged with his murder.
5. Lord Louis Mountbatten (1970)
Prominent military leader and relative of the British Royal Family, Lord Louis Mountbatten was a naval officer and colonial administrator who had a significant impact on British history.
Lord Mountbatten was killed in 1970 when a bomb was planted on his boat – the Shadow V – by the IRA. The explosion killed him, but it also killed his grandson – Nicholas Knatchbull – Doreen, Dowager Lady Brabourne, and Paul Maxwell, a local teenager and young crew member.
This assassination was one of the most high-profile attacks by the IRA. Queen Elizabeth II received condolences and support from political leaders around the world, including Pope John Paul II.
6. Airey Neave (1979)
Conservative MP Neave was killed in 1979. He was another victim of the IRA’s political assassinations, killed by a car bomb that the group planted.
Neave served during the Second World War but was captured and became a prisoner of war in Germany. He managed to escape his imprisonment and went on to become prominent in the resistance.
He was the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he was killed. The target the IRA placed on Neave emphasised the escalation of violence between the IRA and the British government.
7. Spencer Perceval (1812)
The earliest assassination on this list is that of Spencer Perceval. Perceval became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1809, but he was assassinated only three years later in 1812.
Perceval was shot dead by a merchant named John Bellingham, who had an obsessive disdain for the government. Perceval was a well-respected politician who was mourned significantly following his death.
8. Sir Henry Wilson (1922)
Known for his prolific military service in World War I, Sir Henry Wilson was shot dead by two IRA members in June 1922. Reports circulated that the attacker's first shot missed him. Rather than hide or run, Wilson took out his sword and attempted to subdue the shooters. They were able to hit and kill him with their next shots.
The attackers – Joseph O’Sullivan and Reginald Dunne – were caught and hanged in August 1922. As is the case with all of the IRA assassinations mentioned here, Wilson’s death was part of a much broader conflict regarding Irish independence.
