UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Veterans minister Louise Sandher-Jones backs ending Troubles-era immunity for soldiers, saying reforms ensure accountability for victims’ families.
As reported by The Telegraph, Labour defended the Government’s move to scrap immunity for soldiers who served during the Northern Ireland Troubles.
The party faces criticism from ex-military commanders over changes to the Legacy Act, accused of betraying veterans.
The Tory party also slammed the move, calling it misleading and warning it will hang “the sword of Damocles” over retired service personnel.
What did Louise Sandher-Jones say about Troubles justice?
Louise Sandher-Jones backed the plan, insisting past Conservative laws had stopped the families of 200 British troops killed during the Troubles from getting justice.
The former Army intelligence officer stated,
“The key thing that’s wrong with the Northern Ireland Legacy Act is it stopped, completely, the investigations into the murder of over 200 British service personnel. That is not correct.”
She said,
“In my eyes, I’ve never met a single veteran that thinks that’s the right thing that should have happened.”
Ms Sandher-Jones added,
“I can point to the example of Private [Tony] Harrison, who was sitting at home with his girlfriend in Belfast watching telly, and some terrorists broke in and shot him dead. He was 21 years old. This act stops an investigation into what happened to get accountability for his family.”
The veterans minister, previously calling critics of the reforms “scaremongering” and “naive,” said the Government is aware of attempts to use courts to target veterans.
She continued,
“Of course, we know that, we’re very clear-eyed about that – and that’s why we’ve got these six protections for veterans, five of which will be included in law, the sixth we have control over as well, to make sure that people aren’t trying to use the process to punish veterans for something that happened a long time ago.”
Her comments come as part of the Government’s plan to prepare the next generation of clean energy workers, with veterans expected to play a key role.
The scheme aims to double the clean energy workforce to 800,000 by 2030. It seeks to use the expertise and transferable skills of retired military personnel, linking them with jobs in solar, wind, and nuclear power stations.
Ms Sandher-Jones stated,
“We recognise that a lot of our veterans have got this fantastic range of skills, many of which are directly applicable to our clean energy sector.”
She added,
“What we’ve decided to do is have this 12-month pilot, which means that in the clean-energy sector, we can bring them together with our veteran community to make sure that we’re making use of these fantastic skills and also supporting ourselves to have a better clean-energy sector because energy security is national security.”
Who introduced the bill to scrap Troubles-era immunity for soldiers?
Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland Secretary, presented a new bill to Parliament last week. He called the previous legislation, which banned inquests and civil actions for Troubles-era incidents, “unlawful.”
The party’s recent plan includes a legacy commission, an Irish police legacy unit, and a six-point plan to protect former service members.
Mr Benn insisted the new proposals “apply exclusively to service personnel,” while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the protections cover only army veterans, not paramilitaries.
Gavin Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, argued Mr Benn’s clauses “offer no special protections” and called them “a mirage” in the House.
The legislation, along with a linked “Remedial Order,” could allow investigations into former soldiers to resume before Christmas, with some cases back in court within months.
What did Mark Francois say about Labour’s protections for veterans?
Mark Francois, shadow armed forces minister, slammed Labour’s “six protections,” calling them cynical and ineffective, leaving veterans exposed via video link.
He added,
“Why on earth are Labour deliberately reviving inquests and putting the sword of Damocles back over the head of veterans in their seventies and eighties, just to mollify Sinn Fein? The whole thing stinks.”
What are the Trouble-era killings?
A “Troubles-era killing” is a homicide that occurred during the three decades of sectarian and political violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as the Troubles (c. 1968-1998).
These killings were carried out by republican and loyalist paramilitary groups, as well as British state security troops, as part of the wider conflict over Northern Ireland’s constitutional status.
Many of these deaths remain under active investigation today, with ongoing legal and political efforts to address this unresolved legacy and provide answers to victims’ families.