The British government has said there will be no public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane at this time.
However, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said he's not taking the option of an inquiry off the table for the future.
The Belfast solicitor was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in 1989 in front of his family at home.
Last year, the UK Supreme court ruled there hadn't been an effective investigation into the murder.
Today, Mr Lewis said reviews by the PSNI and Police Ombudsman must be allowed conclude first - and that an inquiry now could prejudice those processes.
He said the decision had been taken following 'careful consideration of the facts'.
The Finucane family, meanwhile, says the British government's response today "beggars belief".
In a statement, the family said: "It makes a mockery of the decision by the UK Supreme Court and the forthright comments of Belfast High Court.
"It is yet another insult added to a deep and lasting injury.
"The questions that demand answers around Pat's murder are not going away and neither is our campaign for truth and justice."
The British Govt has again refused to hold a public inquiry into my father’s murder.
Their response today was nothing short of insulting.
Full statement of my mother Geraldine Finucane: pic.twitter.com/iJY8RY7Rwu— John Finucane MP (@johnfinucane) November 30, 2020
The Irish Government says it's disappointed by this evening's news, saying they've consistently insisted that a full and independent public inquiry will be the only satisfactory outcome.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said: "We are disappointed that the opportunity was not taken today to establish such an inquiry without further delay. However, we note that the Secretary of State has not ruled out the holding of such an inquiry.
"In a case like this, in which Prime Minister Cameron acknowledged that there were ‘shocking levels of collusion’, there is an undeniable onus on the state to do everything possible to restore public confidence through a process that fully meets relevant international standards and obligations of effectiveness, independence and transparency."
He said the Government will ask to meet the Finucane family again, and will then engage further with the UK British government on the case.
PSNI response
In a statement this evening, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said Mr Finucane's murder was a 'truly horrendous crime'.
He said he echoes previous apologies made to the Finucane family.
However, he said: "It is our view that there are currently no new lines of inquiry. We now need to decide if a further review is merited given all the previous investigations into this case.
"Once we have determined that, we will inform the Finucane Family.
"If we determine that a review should take place, we will then have to decide if we are best placed to carry out that review."
He said it's 'highly likely' any review would need to happen independently, as it it's accepted there was State involvement in the murder.
Mr Finucane represented IRA hunger strikers and was killed in front of his family by Ulster Defence Association (UDA) gunmen at his home in February 1989.
Former British prime minister David Cameron acknowledged there were "shocking levels of collusion" between the the loyalist paramilitaries involved in the killing and British security forces.
The Finucane family last year lost a UK Supreme Court challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his murder.
However, they won a declaration that an effective investigation into his death was not carried out.
