Boris Johnson has apologised ‘unreservedly’ to the Ballymurphy shooting victims’ families, after a coroner ruled that they were innocent.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the ‘huge anguish that the lengthy pursuit of truth has caused the families of those killed’, following the incident in east Belfast in 1971.

It comes after relatives of the nine men and one woman killed 50 years ago applauded as Coroner Mrs Siobhan Keegan ruled on Tuesday that the use of force by British soldiers was ‘disproportionate’.

Following a call between the PM and Northern Ireland’s First and deputy First Ministers on Wednesday, Mr Johnson branded the conclusion of the inquest ‘deeply sad’ and the events ‘tragic’.

A Downing Street spokesman explained: ‘The Prime Minister apologised unreservedly on behalf of the UK Government for the events that took place in Ballymurphy and the huge anguish that the lengthy pursuit of truth has caused the families of those killed.

‘The Prime Minister restated the Government’s intention to deliver a way forward in Northern Ireland that focuses on reconciliation, delivers for victims of the Troubles and ends the cycle of reinvestigations.

‘He stressed the importance of working hard to keep the gains made through the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and of all parties doing their utmost to help the victims’ families find out what happened to their loved ones, so that future generations are not burdened by the past.’

Earlier, deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the UK Government must apologise ‘as a bare minimum’ to the families of the civilians killed in the shootings by the Army.

She branded Tuesday ‘a day for truth for the Ballymurphy families … but not a day of justice, and that’s what the families now need to see’.

Ms ONeill added: ‘The British Government had been exposed yesterday for covering up for 50 years the fact that they killed Irish citizens on our streets.

‘There are calls for an apology and I would obviously support that as a bare minimum.

‘But what these families now deserve is access to justice.’

Speaking alongside Ms O’Neill at a joint appearance at Clandeboye Golf Club in Bangor, Co Down, First Minister Arlene Foster recognised the Ballymurphy families’ fight for 50 years to clear their names, adding there are many others who are continuing to fight for justice.

‘There are a lot of empty chairs around Northern Ireland and the brutality in the reality of our past is still very much with us,’ she said.

The fresh inquest into the August 1971 deaths concluded that soldiers were responsible for nine of the fatal shootings.

The Coroner also found that the use of lethal force by the Army was not justified and criticised the lack of investigation into the 10th death, of John McKerr – saying she could not definitively rule who had shot him.

Mr Johnson’s apology comes after widespread calls for the British government to say sorry, including from the SDLP, Alliance Party and Ulster Unionists – though many called for the government to go further.

Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt said: (The familes’) campaign clearly isn’t over, I think they will be going from truth to a search for justice, and they are totally justified to do that because we believe nobody is above the law, no matter what uniform they choose to wear.’

On Tuesday evening, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis had said the Government would ‘carefully consider the extensive findings set out by the coroner’.

A solicitor who represents the Ballymurphy families said they have instigated civil proceedings against the Ministry of Defence.

The shootings came over three days from August 9-11, following the controversial introduction of internment without trial.

Soldiers were met with violence across Northern Ireland as they detained IRA suspects.

Original inquests into the Ballymurphy deaths in 1972 returned open verdicts and the bereaved families subsequently pursued a long campaign for fresh investigations.

New inquests began in 2018, with the final oral evidence heard last March.

Following the ruling, there were celebrations in west Belfast on Tuesday night.

A cavalcade of cars made its way through the streets beeping horns while white flags with the word ‘innocent’ on them were waved.

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