Editorial: Stalling of Troubles Legacy Bill is a chance to stop Labour's betrayal of the security forces

Labour’s Legacy Bill seems to be in trouble, which is good news. In that legislation, the government has pandered to an Irish government whose position on legacy is indistinguishable from Sinn Fein, the party that has been inextricably linked to the IRA.

Dublin has even been allowed to sue the UK over ​the previous government’s now shelved conditional amnesty plan when Ireland has operated a flagrant, albeit undeclared, amnesty for IRA murderers and leaders since the 1990s. It is a sign of typical weakness on the part of Keir Starmer that he has betrayed veterans by sucking up to an Ireland that wants legacy to be stacked against the security forces.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is said to be pushing back against the Northern Ireland Office, which usually wants to do what the Irish demand of it. So the Legacy Bill, which tried to return things to the failed Stormont House deal, has stalled. Now Mr Benn is saying that it will return in the new parliamentary session, and include “additional protections and reassurances” for veterans.

While any real protections will be welcome, it is important to be wary about this claim. When – foolishly – Mr Benn reached an agreement with an Ireland that is, to repeat, suing the UK, he said that there were protections for veterans. Much of the media suddenly began asking aggressive questions on this point until it became clear that the protections were meaningless and equally applied to terrorists.

As to “reassurances” they will certainly be meaningless. As the family of Airey Neave, the Tory MP murdered by Irish republican terrorists in 1979, said: “The fact that the new bill may try to make the actual prosecution [of veterans] appear like a visit from the district nurse is immaterial.”

This is a chance for meaningful reform on legacy. We trust the MoD will not rest until this happens.