On 7 February 1991, the Provisional IRA carried out a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street in an attempt to assassinate the prime minister, John Major, and his war cabinet.

The shelling represented the boldest mainland attack since the attempted assassination of Major’s predecessor as prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, in Brighton in October 1984. Previously, in June 1974, the IRA Provisional planted a bomb in Westminster Hall, the historic heart of the Houses of Parliament, injuring 11 people and causing significant structural damage.

The attack on Major’s government occurred at 10:08 am while senior ministers and officials were meeting to discuss the Gulf War. Among those gathered were foreign secretary Douglas Hurd, defence secretary Tom King, attorney general Sir Patrick Mayhew and chancellor Norman Lamont.

Three mortar shells were fired from a white Ford Transit van that had been parked at the junction of Whitehall and Horse Guards Avenue, just 200 yards away. While two of the projectiles overshot and landed harmlessly on a green outside the Foreign Office, the third exploded in the garden of 10 Downing Street, approximately 30 yards from the cabinet room.

The blast shattered windows, scorched a wall and left a crater in the lawn, but no members of the cabinet were harmed. The reinforced glass of the cabinet room did not shatter.

Four people, including two police officers, received minor injuries. Had the shell struck 10 Downing Street itself, it is believed that the entire cabinet would have been killed

Following the explosion, Major is reported to have remarked: “I think we had better start again somewhere else.”

The meeting was reconvened in the Cobra briefing room.

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In a statement shortly after the attack, the home secretary, Kenneth Baker, told the House of Commons that the incident was a “deliberate and ruthless attempt to injure or to kill members of the government”.

Baker said it was fortunate that there “were no worse injuries” and explained that there was “no structural damage”.

He said the “reckless attack” appeared to be the work of the Provisional IRA.

The home secretary added: “Mortar attacks, sadly, are not unknown in Northern Ireland, but this is the first time that terrorists have attempted such an attack on the mainland of Britain. The terrorists constantly change their methods of attack in an attempt to catch us off our guard.

“We must be on our guard at all times against attacks from a variety of sources.”

Baker reassured the House that the cabinet had met and conducted its business as usual. “The machinery of government and our democratic process were not, and will not be, disrupted by terrorist attacks”, he said.

“Today, terrorists have attempted to strike at the heart of our government: they have failed.”

John Major returned to the House of Commons later on 7 February for prime minister’s questions, where, according to the customary opening formula, he informed MPs that earlier that morning he had “presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others.”

Neil Kinnock, the leader of the Labour Party, described the attack as “vicious and futile, since it will neither intimidate nor divert anyone, whether in government or opposition, in this democracy.”

Major responded that the attack was a “deliberate attempt both to kill the cabinet and to do damage to our democratic system of government.”

The prime minister added: “The IRA’s record is one of deep failure in every respect. That failure was demonstrated yet again today. It is about time the IRA learned that democracies cannot be intimidated by terrorism and we rightly treat it with contempt.”

The IRA subsequently released a statement, declaring: “Let the British government understand that, while nationalist people in the six counties are forced to live under British rule, then the British cabinet will be forced to meet in bunkers.”

Commander George Churchill-Coleman, head of Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch, described the attack as “daring, well planned, but badly executed attack”.

It was the first attack against government leaders since the IRA set off a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton on 12 October 1984, during a Conservative Party conference. Five people were killed, but the then-prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, escaped unharmed.