Ian Gow - Death

Death

Although aware that he was a potential IRA assassination target, Gow declined to take anything more than routine security precautions. Notably, unlike most British MPs of that era, he left his telephone number and home address in the local telephone directory. On 30 July 1990, a bomb was planted under Gow's Austin Montego car in the early hours, which exploded in the driveway of his house in the village of Hankham, near Pevensey in East Sussex. The 4½-lb Semtex bomb detonated at 08:39 as Gow reversed out of his driveway, leaving him with severe wounds to his lower body. He died 10 minutes later.

When hearing of Gow's death, Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock commented, "This is a terrible atrocity against a man whose only offence was to speak his mind.... I had great disagreement with Ian Gow and he with me, but no one can doubt his sincerity or his courage, and it is appalling that he should lose his life because of these qualities."

The IRA claimed responsibility for killing Gow, stating that he was targeted because he was a "close personal associate" of Margaret Thatcher because of his role in developing British policy on Northern Ireland.