The Prime Minister has been told to tear up the controversial legislation.
Andy Burnham has been urged to abandon Labour’s Troubles Bill (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has been urged to abandon Labour‘s Troubles Bill amid warnings soldiers must not face “endless legal jeopardy”. A new report by the Policy Exchange think tank, which has been backed by former armed forces minister Al Carns, calls for the proposed law to be ditched over fears it could lead to veterans being hounded for political purposes.
Labour’s draft legislation would replace the Legacy Act brought in by the previous Tory government, which was intended to end legal cases related to the Troubles in Northern Ireland but faced claims it breached human rights laws.
In a foreword to the report, Mr Carns, who quit Sir Keir Starmer‘s government over defence spending and the Troubles Bill, said: “No soldier should be above the law. Equally, no soldier should face endless legal jeopardy. Accountability is not the same as perpetual investigation.
“Justice is not served when the process itself becomes the punishment. That is why this paper matters. It gives voice to men who were there, making decisions almost impossible to recreate 40 or 50 years later. It explains how we got here and offers recommendations for moving forward.”
Ex-Royal Marine and Labour MP Al Carns warns soldiers must not face ‘endless legal jeopardy’ (Image: Getty)
The report highlights the contribution of the Special Air Service (SAS), an elite unit of the British Army known for high-risk counter-terrorism missions, during the 30-year conflict.
It argues that a body of judge-made human rights laws are being applied retroactively to conduct from decades before it was invented.
It also warns of the message it sends to soldiers who are currently serving in the armed forces.
Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman added: “This is what happens when the rule of law morphs into the rule of lawyers, enforced and created by judges who have no experience of war and are hostile to any reality that does not conform to individual rights.
“We owe a debt of great gratitude to the veterans of the SAS who served in the long deployment in Northern Ireland. They served with great courage and honour in extremely dangerous and violent conditions.
“It is a breach of our military covenant that veterans are investigated and prosecuted in their old age because of an understanding of the law that did not exist when they were active.
“This is demoralising ‘The Regiment’ and leading to severe problems in recruitment. A great injustice is being done by the pursuit of these prosecutions by the British state.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week said he will take the same approach to getting answers for Troubles victims in Northern Ireland as he did for families affected by the Hillsborough tragedy.
The Troubles Bill is being brought back to Parliament in the autumn.
A Government spokesperson said: “We are immensely proud of our Armed Forces, and all those who served to protect life and defeat terrorism during the Troubles.
“There is no question of needless repeat investigations or of any veteran being prosecuted for having followed the rules.
“The Legacy Act offered immunity to IRA, UVF and other terrorists, responsible for the overwhelming majority of Troubles-related deaths. It left our veterans exposed. And it left over 1,000 families of murdered UK civilians and soldiers without answers.
“The Troubles Bill aims to fix that broken system, with the reformed Legacy Commission becoming the primary route for families to get the answers they are entitled to.
“There was no equivalence between the lawful service of our veterans and the sickening deliberate actions of the terrorists. We will make that clear in the Bill, and introduce a package of new, effective and lawful protections for our former service personnel.”