{"id":264535,"date":"2025-07-14T15:19:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/264535\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T15:19:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:19:12","slug":"mark-francois-no-two-tier-justice-for-our-northern-ireland-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/264535\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Francois: No \u201cTwo Tier Justice\u201d for our Northern Ireland Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Rt Hon Mark Francois MP is Shadow Armed Forces Minister.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For over three decades, under \u201cOperation Banner\u201d more than 300,000 British soldiers served in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, one of the most perilous and politically fraught periods in modern British history. These troops, many recruited from working-class Northern towns in what we would now call \u201cRed Wall\u201d constituencies, faced relentless bombings, sniper fire, and ambushes.<\/p>\n

Over 760 soldiers lost their lives, and more than 6,000 were seriously wounded, many bearing life-changing physical and psychological scars. These brave men and women risked everything to protect communities scarred by the same violence, striving to uphold the rule of law in the deeply divided Province.<\/p>\n

Yet, today, these veterans face a profound betrayal from the Labour Government, which plans to repeal key parts of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023. This legislation was designed to shield veterans from the relentless cycle of investigations and re-investigations, often driven by political groupings like Sinn F\u00e9in. The proposed changes, now led by Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, strip away these protections, exposing veterans to renewed investigations, for actions taken decades ago, often in a split-second, in the line of duty.<\/p>\n

Even more shocking, a related \u2018Remedial Order\u201d, already backed by Labour MPs in a preliminary Committee vote but opposed by Conservatives, could open up veterans to re-investigation, whilst at the same time allowing figures like Gerry Adams to sue the British taxpayer, under the guise of the Human Rights Act. Despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2019s assurances during Prime Minister\u2019s Questions, back in January, that he would prevent such an outcome, the Order remains unchanged, containing provisions that enable this injustice. This creates a glaring \u201ctwo-tier justice\u201d system: one for veterans who served with courage and another for those who were, in many cases, their adversaries. How any self-respecting Labour MP could vote for this in the autumn and then face their constituents, thereafter, defies belief.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the Prime Minister\u2019s response to a detailed question from Sir David Davis MP during Prime Minister\u2019s Questions on Wednesday 9 July, was particularly telling. Rather than addressing the gravity of the issue, Starmer was dismissive, even disdainful, downplaying a matter that resonates deeply with veterans and their supporters, as \u201cpolitical point-scoring.\u201d His flippant attitude, which was met with absolute silence from his own Labour MPs behind him, underscores a troubling disconnect. This is not merely a legal or historical issue\u2014it is now a very real litmus test for this Government\u2019s commitment to the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n

Linked to this, the Government\u2019s actions extend beyond this legislative betrayal. The effective demotion of the Veterans Minister from a Cabinet position to a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, even one as distinguished as the current officeholder, signals a deliberate downgrading of the veterans\u2019 voice, in the corridors of power. This move, coupled with what Labour are now proposing, reflects a growing detachment from the veterans\u2019 community, particularly those who served on Operation Banner.<\/p>\n

At a time when, similarly to our other \u201cFive Eyes\u201d partners, the British Army faces a recruitment and retention crisis, these decisions threaten deepen disillusionment among serving personnel, who may rightly question whether this Government- dominated as it is by human rights lawyers- truly \u201chas their back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The publics outrage is now palpable. A Parliamentary petition titled \u201cProtect Northern Ireland Veterans from Prosecution,\u201d launched by the veterans themselves, has surged past 167,000 signatures in just over two months, securing a debate in Parliament scheduled for today.<\/p>\n

This petition reflects widespread anger at the Government\u2019s apparent prioritisation of human rights lawyers and figures like Adams over those who defended the nation. The debate will hopefully force Labour MPs to confront this issue head-on, especially as they return to their constituencies during the upcoming recess, where they may face constituents angered by the harsh treatment of veterans and the perceived rewarding of those who waged a 30-year campaign against the British people and their respective Governments.<\/p>\n

The implications of these actions are profound. A nation that forgets the sacrifices of its soldiers risks losing the trust of those who would serve in the future. The courage of Operation Banner veterans, who endured brutal chaos to protect communities, deserves unwavering support, not betrayal. The Government\u2019s willingness to prioritise political expediency over justice undermines the morale of current and future soldiers, who see their predecessors hounded while their adversaries are seemingly empowered.<\/p>\n

In the context of this, the Royal British Legion has now called for the Government to urgently provide clarity on their intent regarding the process of legacy prosecutions, as they believe that the anxiety and uncertainty created by the current situation is \u201cunfair and is having a substantial negative impact on veterans and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, in a joint statement on Thursday 10 July, the Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales Veterans Commissioners, have said that they are \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d by the prospect of retrospective legal action being taken against veterans who were carrying out their lawful duties, often under immense pressure and threat. Inconsistent application of justice \u2013 particularly where it revisits incidents already thoroughly investigated, in some cases multiple times over \u2013 serves only to re-traumatise veterans and undermine public confidence. They have therefore, quite rightfully, urged the Government to \u201cresist any changes to legislation that would re-open legal uncertainty for veterans of Operation Banner.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a moment for the public to help defend those who defended us. The petition\u00a0is still open and offers a chance to show support<\/a> for Northern Ireland veterans and demand an end to this politically driven harassment.<\/p>\n

It is a call to ensure that history is not rewritten, to benefit Sinn Fein and to seek to vilify those who served with honour instead. There can be absolutely no moral equivalence, between the soldiers who were serving the Crown, and those murderous terrorists \u2013 both Republican and so-called Loyalist- that they were seeking to oppose, to uphold the civil order and institutions at the time.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Labour\u2019s ill-advised changes to the Legacy Act threaten to erode the bond between the nation and its Armed Forces. By exposing veterans to further investigations, whilst potentially enabling figures like Adams to exploit the legal system \u2013 and sue the British taxpayer \u2013 all in the name of \u201cupholding human rights\u201d; the Government risks alienating those it relies on to defend the nation.<\/p>\n

If Labour presses ahead regardless, they must remember a simple truth: a nation that betrays its soldiers\u2019 past sacrifices undermines the trust of those who would serve tomorrow. Justice for our veterans must prevail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0Rt Hon Mark Francois MP is Shadow Armed Forces Minister. For over three decades, under \u201cOperation Banner\u201d more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[52351,43412,22306,20870,1144,101086,26122,11528,101087,59428,101088,6568,16,15,52239],"class_list":{"0":"post-264535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-five-eyes","9":"tag-human-rights-act","10":"tag-ira","11":"tag-legacy-act","12":"tag-northern-ireland","13":"tag-operation-banner","14":"tag-royal-british-legion","15":"tag-sinn-fein","16":"tag-sir-david-davis-mp","17":"tag-sir-keir-starmer-mp","18":"tag-the-army","19":"tag-the-troubles","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom","22":"tag-veterans"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114852263826413454","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}