Northern Ireland veterans have condemned the latest amendments to the controversial Troubles Bill as little more than “window dressing”, warning that elderly former soldiers remain vulnerable to prosecution.
Troops now in their 70s and 80s, many of whom have faced years of legal scrutiny, could still be drawn into politically sensitive criminal cases and coroners’ hearings under the revised legislation.
Former Blues and Royals Lance Corporal Paul Young accused Labour of relying on “gimmicks” to placate the military community while leaving crucial questions unanswered.
One amendment would make clear that suspected terrorists cannot invoke “comfort letters” issued under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Signed off during Sir Tony Blair’s premiership, the letters informed people wanted in connection with Republican and Loyalist activity that investigations into their cases had been suspended.
Although the legal force of the letters has been disputed for years, the redrafted Troubles Bill would state explicitly that they cannot be used as a shield against prosecution.
Another prominent provision says the legislation does not treat law-abiding soldiers and terrorists as equivalent.
The veterans’ group Rolling Thunder, pictured, is expected to gather in Westminster in the coming days as former troops intensify pressure on Labour ministers over the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill
Northern Ireland veterans have repeatedly held peaceful marches in central London to highlight their concerns
Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Republican and Loyalist terrorists linked to atrocities that killed civilians received “comfort letters” indicating that investigations into their alleged activities were being halted
For veterans, one of the most significant consequences is that at least eight inquests into events dating back decades in Northern Ireland are expected to proceed under the Bill.
Some former soldiers could also face renewed prosecutions if investigators produce evidence considered “new and compelling”.
Labour has also rejected calls for a Supreme Court judge to determine whether a soldier should stand trial.
Instead, the Government has proposed giving that authority to the Attorney General, a political appointee. The most recent former Attorney General was human rights barrister Lord Hermer, who previously represented Afghan families pursuing compensation from the UK.
Lance Corporal Young, a prominent veterans’ campaigner, told the Daily Mail that the amendments contained “a lot of window dressing and gimmickry” but offered too little practical clarity. Veterans, he said, needed to understand precisely how the new terminology would operate.
He argued that the central problems remained unresolved, with no clear end to what he called “lawfare”. Existing legal actions would continue, he said, while further cases could still be brought.
Young also described the proposed role for the Attorney General as unacceptable, warning that the post could be held by someone with a similar professional background to Lord Hermer.
Among the inquests expected to continue are hearings examining SAS operations at Loughgall in 1987, when soldiers disrupted an IRA attack on a police station.
Young claimed Republican groups were attempting to reshape the historical record through organisations acting as legal proxies, leaving former soldiers exposed to possible prosecution.
Government sources said last night that the revised Troubles Bill addressed about 80 per cent of the concerns raised by veterans’ organisations, including the Special Air Service Regimental Association, known as SASRA.
The remaining 20 per cent, the sources said, involved demands such as appointing a Supreme Court judge, as well as proposals on which veterans’ groups themselves had not agreed.
The Government says the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill will provide lasting protections to ensure former troops and police officers are treated with fairness, decency and respect.
The comprehensive package follows months of engagement with associations to ensure ‘robust and permanent safeguards’, according to a government source.
Last night, Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant said: ‘This Bill is about completing the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement, getting answers for families, including veterans’ families who lost a loved one.
‘We have introduced a significant package of amendments. I am confident that this legislation will be a significant step towards a more reconciled society.’
More than 300,000 British troops served in Northern Ireland under Operation Banner over three decades. In that time nearly 1,800 members of the security services died. So too thousands of civilians, the vast majority due to paramilitary violence.
The Troubles Bill replaces the Conservatives’ Legacy Act, championed by former veterans minister Johnny Mercer, which offered conditional immunity against prosecutions and halted civil claims and inquests.
As part of the Troubles Bill, coroners and officials staffing a fact finding commission will be mandated to evaluate soldiers’ actions within an operational context, such as the necessity to make split-second decisions under fire.
According to the Government, there will be no duplication of legal processes that have already taken place unless it is absolutely necessary. The Government, rather than the veteran, will also answer questions posed by claimants.
Regarding the failure to stop ongoing cases, the Government said it did not wish to undermine existing legal processes.
The Troubles Bill includes incidents that occurred outside Northern Ireland that were associated with the conflict, such as IRA bombings on the mainland and the SAS’s ambush of three IRA operatives in Gibraltar in 1988.