Truss has ‘blood on her hands over my soldier son’s death’
THE mother of a young man who took his own life after going to fight in Ukraine accused Liz Truss of having ‘blood on her hands’ yesterday.
Harry Gregg was 23 when he travelled to the war-torn country after the then foreign secretary encouraged British volunteers to enter the conflict.
He served three tours despite his only military experience being a few months in the Army Cadets when he was 11.
Mr Gregg, from Thetford, Norfolk, witnessed the violent death of Ukrainian soldiers and saw atrocities committed against civilians. His mother said he was ‘broken’ when he returned but denied mental health support by the British military because he had not served with UK forces.
He killed himself on December 14, hours before he was due to celebrate his 25th birthday with friends. A coroner last week said Mr Gregg’s exact intent that day was ‘unknown’, but his mother Sandi told the Mail he would still be alive if former prime minister Ms Truss had not spoken in favour of Britons joining the war.
‘He suffered from ADHD and was very impetuous. He phoned me the day after Liz had said that and told me “Mum, I’m going to Ukraine”,’ she said.
‘He couldn’t be talked down from it… To all intents and purposes he had no military experience whatsoother ever. Liz Truss has blood on her hands.’ At least ten people from Britain have died after going to fight for Ukraine.
Five days after Vladimir Putin’s invasion in February 2022, Ms Truss said in a BBC interview: ‘If people want to support that struggle, I would support them.’ No 10 distanced itself from her comments, while fellow Conservatives said it would be reckless and illegal for Britons to become involved.
Ms Truss retracted the statement a week later, but Ms Gregg, 57, said the damage was already done. Her son served with the 48th Battalion and was nicknamed ‘Eagle’ by the soldiers. He saw First World War-style trench warfare, which his mother said he was ‘not equipped for’ mentally.
She added: ‘ He ended up with one of his colleagues’ brains all over his uniform and he had to put him in a body bag and drag him out of the trenches.’
Ms Gregg said of her son: ‘ He used to bounce through the door with a big grin on his face. When he came back, there was a sadness about him. He was broken.
‘He tried to speak to the British military for help with PTSD but they rejected him as he didn’t have a service number. You can’t just expect people to go over and volunteer and then come back and carry on with life.’
At Mr Gregg’s inquest in Norfolk, a coroner said he had spoken to a GP about PTSD but failed to attend appointments with a mental health worker. They said he ‘died due to a deliberate hanging but his intent is unknown and his cognition may have been impaired by the use of recreational drugs’.
Liz Truss said yesterday: ‘I am very sorry to hear of Harry’s death. My thoughts are with his friends and family.’ The Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office were contacted for comment.