Troubles veterans in grave danger – Keir Starmer must not betray UK soldiers

As published by the Express

Labour’s plans to repeal the Northern Ireland Legacy Act could see the floodgates opened to hundreds of criminal and civil cases against veterans of the campaign.

As a petition calling on the Government to leave the act, designed to draw a line under the Troubles, alone, senior Conservative MP Sir David Davis warns that the sword of Damocles is hanging over those who risked their lives to maintain peace.

722 brave British soldiers were killed by paramilitary murderers during The Troubles.

Not one of those deaths has been revisited.

Yet as a result of two recent inquests into incidents that happened over 30 years ago, veterans of the Troubles are now in danger of being hauled before the courts for doing nothing more than their patriotic duty.

The Government plans to repeal the Legacy Act, which was an attempt to protect our veterans from vengeful prosecution.

It promised to protect those who served in Northern Ireland.

The Government risks handing power back to those who have never stopped trying to rewrite the past.

That must not happen.

These men are trying to enjoy a well-earned retirement. They deserve better than living in constant fear that they will be hauled before a court and asked to explain actions taken three decades ago to save lives, preserve peace, and prevent terrorism on our streets.

I have repeatedly asked the Government what they plan to do about it.

I am yet to receive a satisfactory answer.

These men served with honour. Many risked their lives to keep the peace. They held the line when terrorists tried to break our country apart.

Our brave veterans served their country with honour, heroism and skill and now face prosecution.

That is why I have supported the petition calling for this campaign of retrospective prosecution to stop.

If you believe in fairness for those who risked everything on our behalf, I urge you to sign the petition at petition.parliament.uk.

The petition just reached 100,000 signatures. The number necessary for a debate in parliament.

However, we must not let up, it is really important to keep signing this petition. The more signatures we receive the more likely it is we get a debate on this vital matter quickly.

This debate is essential to highlighting the Government’s hopeless inaction on this issue and pressing them to do more to protect our brave servicemen and women who have served, are serving, and who will serve.

These legal cases do not bring closure. They do not serve justice. They reopen old wounds. They punish the wrong people. Soldiers are not perfect, but they operated under law.

They did not set off bombs in shopping centres or murder civilians in cold blood.

By failing to protect our veterans from politically motivated legal campaigns, this Government is abandoning its duty.

This week I asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he planned to do to protect our veterans.

He wasn’t happy with my description of “Politically motivated” prosecutions.

But what else do you call it when, for political reasons, you pardon known murderers and allow the prosecution of soldiers for simply doing their duty in defence of the realm.

In failing to protect our brave veterans from vexatious prosecutors pursuing them through the courts, Labour is presiding over a system of two-tier justice.

One law for those who defended our country. Another for those who tried to destroy it.

Those who courageously served the UK in The Troubles were the guarantors of our security, our freedom, and our justice.

We owe them no less than security, freedom, and justice in return.