- Sign the Parliament website petition calling for protection from prosecution for Northern Ireland veterans here
The campaign to protect SAS veterans from historical legal actions was boosted on Monday night by an apparent delay to Labour‘s bid to axe the Legacy Act.
Aided by this newspaper’s Stop The SAS Betrayal campaign, nearly 200,000 members of the public have so far backed a bid to ensure soldiers are not exposed to a witch-hunt in the form of misconduct claims from the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Tory defence spokesman Mark Francois said the Government had been ‘rocked’ by the backlash and had postponed a Commons bid to scrap the Legacy Act, which provides protections to UK troops.
He had expected Labour to present plans for alternative legislation before summer recess.
But after a surge of public support for the Mail’s campaign and a parliamentary debate, they were seemingly put on ice.
The move may also be linked to a reported threat by Labour veterans minister Al Carns to resign over the issue.
Just under 180,000 people have signed the parliamentary petition, boosted by former SAS reservist Sir David Davis, to support veterans.
The battle to preserve their legal protections – deemed unlawful by a court in Northern Ireland – is expected to resume this autumn.
The campaign to protect SAS veterans from historical legal actions was boosted on Monday night by an apparent delay to Labour’s bid to axe the Legacy Act (pictured: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday)
Meanwhile, SAS veterans have stepped up plans to reenact an incident involving Special Forces soldiers and the IRA in 1992 which is the centre of a legal battle (pictured: the scene of the shoot out)
On Monday night, Mr Francois said: ‘While we have won this initial battle, with the help of the Mail and its readers, we haven’t won the war.
‘We still need to keep up the pressure on Labour MPs not to apply “two-tier justice”.’
Labour’s intention to remove protections for UK troops included in the Legacy Act, which was introduced by the previous government’s veterans minister Johnny Mercer, was included in its election manifesto.
It made the vow after a successful legal challenge to the Act in Northern Ireland.
A judge found the legislation was ‘unlawful’ as it undermined the UK’s commitment to ensure a path to justice for those wronged by the state.
Meanwhile, SAS veterans have stepped up plans to reenact an incident involving Special Forces soldiers and the IRA in 1992 which is the centre of a legal battle.
As many as 12 SAS troops face possible murder charges following the deaths of four IRA men in County Tyrone in 1992.
Former UK military commander in Northern Ireland Colonel Richard Kemp said: ‘The British people don’t want to see their soldiers thrown to the wolves over incidents they can scarcely recall several decades later.
Pictured: The Russian made DHSK heavy machine-gun used by the IRA mounted on a lorry at Clonoe in 1992
Tory defence spokesman Mark Francois, pictured in 2023, said the Government had been ‘rocked’ by the backlash and had postponed a Commons bid to scrap the Legacy Act
‘So no wonder so many people are backing the Mail’s campaign.’
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told the Mail on Monday night: ‘The failed Legacy Act has been rejected by our domestic courts, exposing our brave veterans to no settled process or safeguards.
‘Any incoming government would have had to fix the mess that was left, not least because it promised giving immunity to terrorists.
‘This Government’s commitment to our Operation Banner veterans is unshakeable.
‘We will fix it by putting in place a fair and transparent system that gives survivors and families – including bereaved Armed Forces families – the ability to find answers and threats.’
