The Downing Street Declaration of 1993 allowed Sinn Féin , a political party associated with the IRA , to participate in all-party peace negotiations on condition that the IRA called a ceasefire . The IRA called a ceasefire on 31 August 1994 . John Major 's government , dependent on Ulster Unionist Party votes , then began insisting that the IRA must fully disarm before there could be any all-party negotiations . The IRA saw this as a demand for total surrender and believed the British were unwilling to hold negotiations . It ended its ceasefire on 9 February 1996 when it detonated a powerful truck bomb in Canary Wharf , one of the two financial districts of London . The blast killed two people and caused an estimated £ 150 million worth of damage . The IRA then planted five other devices in London within the space of 10 weeks
detonated a powerful truck bomb in Canary Wharf
1996 Docklands bombing
1996 Manchester bombing