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The government has asked for further time to consider whether to establish a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, his widow has said.

Last month, a court gave the government three weeks to deal with the issue.

Geraldine Finucane said she has been informed the secretary of state's lawyers have written to the Court of Appeal in Belfast "seeking additional time".

She described it as "another frustrating delay".

Her husband was shot dead by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in his north Belfast home in 1989.

'Exposing the truth'

Mrs Finucane has campaigned for a public inquiry after several investigations uncovered evidence of state collusion.

In a statement, issued through her solicitor, she said: "My family and I have had to tolerate many delays over the course of the last 35 years and all of them were frustrating.

"However, this is a serious matter that requires careful deliberation.

"If the UK government needs further time to come to a considered decision, then I will not object to a reasonable period being allowed for this to happen.

"However, my position remains that a statutory public inquiry is the only mechanism capable of exposing the truth behind my husband's murder."

Mrs Finucane met Secretary of State Hilary Benn to discuss the case last week.

In 2019, the UK Supreme Court declared that earlier investigations failed to meet standards required by Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Since then, Geraldine Finucane has mounted a series of legal battles over the government’s response to the findings.

In the latest case, Lord Justice Horner set out a timetable for action.

He gave the government and Mrs Finucane three weeks to agree on an Article 2 compliant investigation into Mr Finucane's killing.

He said if there is no agreement, a further three weeks will be granted to allow parties to submit their own proposals.