Williamson rebuffed over IRA amnesty

GAVIN WILLIAMSON has been slapped down by Downing Street for apparently suggesting IRA terrorists be given an amnesty from prosecution in order to provide the same protection to British soldiers.

The Defence Secretary wrote to Theresa May, urging her to create a “statute of limitations” for offences during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, in the wake of new plans to examine criminal cases.

He told the Prime Minister that British soldiers who served in the region from the 1970s to the 1990s should have the “protection they deserve”, adding: “If this means a wider amnesty, so be it.”

However, a Downing Street spokeswoman said yesterday: “We cannot countenance a proposal where amnesties would be provided to terrorists. We owe a debt of gratitude to the bravery of the soldiers and police officers who upheld the rule of law and are accountable to it.”

In May, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley sparked a political row by unveiling a consultation on the toxic legacy of the Troubles which did not include an amnesty for members of the security forces.

She insisted there was “no support” in the region for a “Northern Ireland-only statute of limitations”, as she launched a public consultation on other proposals to address unresolved issues from the past. In the letter reported by the

Scarborough-born Mr Williamson argued that such a statute was exactly what was needed.