The Conservative government’s Northern Ireland Legacy Act has been criticized by Labour for halting investigations into the deaths of over 200 British soldiers. Labour plans to repeal this legislation, citing it as a reason for their stance.
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn is expected to inform Parliament that 202 ongoing inquiries into Troubles-related deaths of military personnel were halted in May 2024, with an additional 23 cases involving veterans also brought to a standstill.
The case of Private Tony Harrison, a London paratrooper shot dead by the IRA in 1991, is a notable example. His murder remains unsolved, and his family seeks clarification from Labour on how they plan to investigate such cases if the Legacy Act is repealed. They also criticize the Conservatives for initially halting the murder inquiry.
In response, military veterans, backed by the Conservatives, plan to protest in Whitehall, fearing that Labour’s move could lead to more prosecutions against veterans. Conservatives are voicing concerns that this issue could affect their standing with Labour-supporting, working-class voters in Great Britain.
Mark Francois, a shadow junior defense minister, has accused Labour of betraying veterans with their plans, and over 170,000 people have signed a petition against changing the law to allow prosecutions of Northern Ireland veterans.
According to the previous government, the goal of the Legacy Act was to stop what they considered vexatious prosecutions against British army veterans by halting investigations into Troubles-related deaths, unless they were deemed highly serious. However, this move was opposed by families of victims and parties in Northern Ireland.
Emma Norton, director of the Centre for Military Justice, representing Private Harrison’s family, argues that concerns about veteran prosecutions are overstated, pointing out that there has been only one conviction of a veteran since 1998. She also notes that the trial of ‘Soldier F’ for alleged killings during Bloody Sunday is set to begin in September.
A government source has criticized the Legacy Act for making “false and undeliverable promises about immunity” to veterans and for blocking investigations into unsolved killings of British troops in Northern Ireland, arguing that any government would have needed to address these issues.
