Overview
- David Johnstone, the Labour-appointed Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner, warns the proposal is imbalanced, erodes trust in government, and exposes former soldiers to prosecution.
- The draft Troubles Bill would end the 2023 conditional immunity scheme, restore some inquests, and create both a legacy investigations commission and a separate information recovery body.
- The SAS Regimental Association and other veterans’ groups argue the plan offers scant protections and have threatened legal action, citing potential breaches of ECHR Articles 6 and 8.
- The government says its commitment to Northern Ireland veterans is unshakeable and that the Bill provides six lawful, deliverable protections developed in consultation with veterans.
- The shift follows a Belfast High Court finding that parts of the Legacy Act were incompatible with the ECHR, after which the government dropped an appeal and laid a December 4 remedial order to remove immunity measures.