Halt witch-hunt of Ulster troops, say ex-ministers

FOUR former Northern Ireland secretaries have urged ministers to end the witch-hunt against British troops.

The cross-party group said the Government should prioritise compensation to victims of the Troubles over investigations into deaths during the period.

It comes as the current Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley considers a £150million plan to establish a Historical Investigations Unit to continue inquiries into Troubles-related deaths.

Labour’s Lord Hain and seven other signatories called for the unit to be scrapped but said they would not oppose the pursuit of a case if significant evidence emerged.

The signatories include Lord King, Tory Northern Ireland secretary from 1985 to 1989, Labour’s Lord Reid, who held the post in 2000-01, Lord Murphy (2002-05) and Lord Hain (2005-07).

The letter says that, of the 1,615 cases the Historical Enquiries Team looked at, just three led to prosecutions.