Tories accuse Labour of ‘abandoning veterans’ over Northern Ireland legacy

The Conservatives have accused the Government of “abandoning veterans” in the new legacy framework for Northern Ireland.

They claimed veterans “who served with honour” will be treated as suspects, while those who “waged a campaign of terror are granted fresh opportunities to recast themselves as victims”.

The new legacy framework, unveiled by the UK and Irish governments on Friday, contains commitments to fundamentally reform the mechanisms established in the Tories’ 2023 Legacy Act.

Alex Burghart, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, said: “This agreement fails our veterans.

“Instead of the clarity and finality provided by the last Conservative government, it drags up the past and places those who served honourably back under suspicion.

“Reopening old wounds while giving terrorists another platform to rewrite history is not justice — it is a betrayal.

“Our veterans deserve respect and certainty, not the constant fear of vexatious complaints decades after their service.”

James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, 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.”