Labour confirms crunch Commons vote on Troubles legal guidelines – as Tories accuse ministers of ‘outrageous’ assault on Northern Ireland veterans
Labour today confirmed a crunch House of Commons vote on Troubles laws will take place later this month.
The Government announced it will seek to pass a ‘remedial order’ to repeal immunity provisions from Northern Ireland legacy legislation on 20 January.
The remedial order will amend the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
This includes removing measures that would give immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related crimes in exchange for information.
It is also set to lift the bar on Troubles-related civil cases.
Ministers are taking the action after the High Court in Belfast ruled last year that parts of the 2023 Act were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The last previous Tory government was in the process of appealing that decision, but the new Labour Government dropped the appeal after the 2024 general election.
Tory MP Mark Francois, the shadow Armed Forces minister, accused Labour of an ‘outrageous’ attack on UK military veterans.
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn last month said there were ‘compelling reasons’ for proceeding with the remedial order
‘Today the Government confirmed a key vote, affecting the fate of Northern Ireland Veterans, will now take place in the Commons, in 12 days time,’ Mr Francois said.
‘The vote is on a ‘remedial order’ which would have the practical effect of re-starting the conveyor belt of inquests and re-investigations against our veterans.
‘If this goes through, our veterans will subsequently find themselves back in the dock, often at the behest of Sinn Fein.
‘It’s outrageous that those who actually fought the IRA should be treated in this way, by a Labour Government.’
The date of the vote on the remedial order was announced by Labour’s Sir Alan Campbell, the Leader of the House of Commons, on Thursday.
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn last month said there were ‘compelling reasons’ for proceeding with the order.
‘This is a view shared by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), which, in its report on the December 9, agreed that the Government has such reasons and recommended that Parliament approve the order,’ Mr Benn told the Commons.
He also told MPs it is important to provide clarity on immunity and to remove the bar on civil claims ‘as quickly as possible’ to enable the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to continue its work.
The Northern Ireland Secretary said this clarity is a ‘prerequisite for building trust’ and that it will be ‘difficult’ for the ICRIR to gain the confidence of victims and survivors without it.
Mr Benn added that the Government has a ‘clear mandate, compelling reasons and the procedural basis’ to go ahead with the remedial order.
