NORTHERN Ireland veterans will “struggle to sleep” over Labour’s repealing of Troubles amnesty laws, the Tories warned yesterday.
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge slammed Sir Keir Starmer for agreeing to repeal the Legacy Act, which stopped ex-servicemen being dragged through traumatic court trials for incidents that took place decades ago.
Under Labour’s new plan, all unresolved Troubles cases will now be probed by a new unit in the Republic of Ireland.
Run by the Irish police force, it will hand over any new evidence that is brought about to a Legacy Commission in Northern Ireland.
Vets will then be compelled to give evidence but only via video link from England.
The commission will be free to conduct investigations that could lead to prosecutions of either British veterans or IRA terrorists.
Mr Cartlidge said: “The previous Government’s Legacy Act meant our brave Northern Ireland veterans could sleep soundly in their beds at night, knowing they would not be prosecuted for the crime of serving their country, decades ago.
“Labour’s announcement today removes that certainty and opens the floodgates to a new wave of vexatious legal action against our veterans – threatening the Army’s morale just as we face the most profound military threats since the Cold War.”
Defending the change, Veterans’ Minister Al Carns, who served 24 years in the Marines, told The Sun: “I served in Northern Ireland.
“There’s no way in shape or form, myself as a minister, would allow our service personnel to be dragged through the courts or indeed be unfairly treated.
“We’ve got to ensure our families of our service personnel can get to the truth.
“And we’ve got to ensure that no one in this process rewrites history to paint the state as the oppressors when actually our veterans and armed forces personnel went over there to protect the peace.”
The Tories last night warned that repealing the Legacy Act will open the floodgates to taxpayers being forced to pay compensation to IRA terrorists such as Gerry Adams.
Officials insisted they will legislate to guarantee no public money finds its way into terrorist hands.
The commission will be free to conduct investigations that could lead to prosecutions of either British veterans or IRA terroristsGetty Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
