‘A particularly hot corner of hell’: Norman Tebbit never forgave the IRA bomber who paralyzed his wife

Norman Tebbit, a key ally of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, died on July 7 at age 94. The conservative politician was known for his strong views and tough approach to politics. But perhaps nothing defined his later years more than his refusal to forgive the IRA bomber who changed his family’s life forever.

According to The Washington Post, the attack happened on October 12, 1984, during a Conservative Party conference at the Grand Brighton Hotel. The Provisional Irish Republican Army had planted a bomb behind a bathroom wall, hoping to kill Thatcher. The militants wanted to make Northern Ireland part of the Republic of Ireland. They missed their main target but killed five people and injured more than 30 others.

When asked about his attackers years later, Tebbit made his feelings clear. In a BBC interview 30 years after the Brighton bombing, he said there was “no possibility of any forgiveness” for former IRA militants, including Patrick Magee, who planted the bomb. “One can hope that there’s a particularly hot corner of hell reserved for them,” he said, “and they can repent in their own time there.”

The Brighton bombing changed everything for Norman Tebbit

The blast left Tebbit with serious injuries, including a broken shoulder blade, collarbone, and vertebrae, along with rib and hip damage. But his wife Margaret suffered far worse. She was paralyzed from the neck down and spent the next two years in the hospital. The couple had been lying in their bed when the bomb went off, causing them to fall through four floors as the ceiling crashed down.

Trapped in the rubble, they were able to hold hands as they went in and out of consciousness before being separated. Tebbit was taken out on a stretcher in his pajamas and brought to a hospital. When asked if he had any allergies, he replied: “Yes, bombs.”

Before the bombing, political experts saw Tebbit as a possible replacement for Thatcher. He was chairman of the Conservative Party and had led them to a big victory in the 1987 election. But after the attack, he left the cabinet to work in business, serving on company boards to help pay for his wife’s medical care. He said quitting politics right away would have given the IRA another victory. The only time he was cheered by all sides of Parliament was when he returned to take his seat after leaving the hospital.

Patrick Magee, the man who planted the bomb, was sent to prison but was later released as part of the Good Friday peace agreements. Tebbit believed that Magee and other former paramilitaries had failed to show they were sorry for their actions. This lack of regret seemed to fuel his lasting anger toward them.

Throughout his retirement, Tebbit continued to speak out on conservative issues. He supported Britain leaving the European Union and criticized politicians who didn’t meet his standards. But the Brighton bombing and its impact on his family remained a defining moment in his life, one that he never moved past.