May: Ulster veterans treated unfairly
PM insists terrorist killers must be pursued but refuses to commit to protect ex-soldiers
THERESA MAY has labelled the treatment of Northern Ireland veterans “patently unfair” and insisted terrorists who killed British service personnel during the Troubles must be investigated.
The Government is to launch a consultation into the creation of a Historical Investigations Unit to look into unsolved deaths from the period but it contains no provision for an amnesty to protect former soldiers.
The Prime Minister claimed some terrorists were not being pursued by authorities but she refused to commit to introducing the statute of limitations to prevent British personnel from facing prosecution.
Mrs May also faced pressure from DUP MPS not to introduce a statute of limitations solely focused on events in Northern Ireland because they fear doing so could lead to pressure from the IRA to give an amnesty to terrorists.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, one of the party’s most senior MPS, warned ministers must not “equate terrorists with members of the Armed Forces”. Sir Jeffrey said that a statute of limitations for the Armed Forces should instead be introduced on a Uk-wide basis and should also cover other conflicts, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
Senior Tories have criticised proposals that offer British soldiers no protection from prosecution for offences during the Troubles.
Thousands of people were killed or injured during 30 years of violence, most by paramilitaries but a significant number at the hands of security forces.
MPS had called for a statute of limitations, which would prevent anyone from facing trial, but such a law is not expected to feature in government proposals for addressing Northern Ireland’s toxic past.
Downing Street yesterday sidestepped questions relating to whether a statute would be brought forward.
Mrs May told MPS: “We have an unfair situation – the situation we have at the moment is that the only people being investigated for these issues that happened in the past are those in our Armed Forces or those who served in law enforcement in Northern Ireland – that is patently unfair. Terrorists are not being investigated, terrorists should be investigated and that is what the Government wants to see.”
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) figures previously obtained by the BBC suggested investigations into killings by the Army account for about 30 per cent of the PSNI’S legacy workload, with the remainder concerning republicans or loyalists.
It is investigating more than 1,000 deaths not previously fully reviewed.
Senior members of the Cabinet, including Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, are among those understood to have expressed concern at any proposals that do not seek to prevent soldiers from being prosecuted. The concept of an amnesty has gained traction among a number of Westminster backbenchers who claim recent prosecutions of former British soldiers amount to a “witch-hunt”.
But prosecutors and police in Northern Ireland insist such allegations simply do not stand up to scrutiny.
The DUP’S opposition to a Northern Ireland-specific amnesty makes pursuing such a policy almost impossible for the Government given Mrs May’s reliance on the party’s 10 MPS to stay in power.
Sir Jeffrey said: “If you introduce a statute of limitations which relates only to Northern Ireland and our troubled past, organisations like the IRA would then press for an amnesty for their members and we believe it would be completely unacceptable to equate members of the Armed Forces with members of an illegal terrorist organisation.”
‘The only people being investigated … are our Armed Forces or those who served in law enforcement’
How can it be right that 25, 30 or even 40 years after they served in Northern Ireland, British soldiers still face the prospect of prosecution for alleged criminal behaviour while on active duty during the Troubles? Many of those at risk are in their sixties and seventies, enjoying their retirement and their grandchildren.
They could be dragged into the ambit of a new unit which the Government has promised to set up to investigate unsolved killings. It had been thought that soldiers would be exempt but this is no longer certain. Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, is reportedly at odds with Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland Secretary, over whether veterans who have already been investigated would be protected.
Julian Lewis, the Tory chairman of the Commons defence select committee, urged the Prime Minister yesterday to agree to a statute of limitations on pursuing these historical cases. But a consultation on setting up the unit has stalled because of the deadlock in restoring the Northern Irish executive, with no provision made for the anticipated amnesty. The DUP and Sinn Fein have both raised objections to such a move, with Unionists concerned it could lead to an amnesty for IRA terrorists, while the republicans remain anxious to pursue cases against the military.
However, the British state owes a duty to these soldiers that transcends the serpentine politics of the province. Theresa May said she wanted a solution to protect veterans. She should commit now to a time limit on prosecutions.
As Sir Michael Fallon, the former defence secretary, writes today, the alternative is a witchhunt, and a one-sided one at that.