Government accused of ‘dereliction of duty’ over dropping legal challenge to Gerry Adams compensation ruling

Meanwhile TUV boss Jim Allister has accused the Labour Party of siding with Mr Adams by adopting plans to strip out legislation which would have prevented him getting compensation.

The pair were reacting to proposals from the Policy Exchange think tank – which has urged the government to change course on its plans.

Ulster Unionist justice spokesperson Doug Beattie ​told the News Letter: “Labour’s plans to replace and repeal the Northern Ireland (Legacy and reconciliation) Act 2023 was seen as a way of starting the process of creating a better way of dealing with the legacy of the Troubles. Yet time and time again it seems clear that the Government and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland are intent of ploughing through with their own vision of how the legacy act should be changed without speaking to those political parties and victims groups who stood firm is apposing the act from its inception.

“The Northern Ireland’s High Court findings that the Legacy Act provisions, which prevented Gerry Adams and others from claiming compensation, were a breach of their human rights is fundamentally wrong. The failure of the UK government to challenge this ruling is a dereliction of duty and will create huge hurt within the victim’s community. It is time the Northern Ireland office, the secretary of state and the UK Government started putting victims first by challenging those that supported and excused a terrorist campaign lasting over 30 years.

Jim Allister KC MP said he very much welcomed the paper published by Policy Exchange. He said it was in “contrast to the muddled thinking” of the government – describing it as “clinical and unassailable in dismantling the government’s craven proposal”.

The North Antrim MP said the sovereign right of Parliament “to reverse faulty court rulings was rightly exercised”, but Labour was now siding with Adams and opening the door “to another slap in the face for IRA victims by compensating him for his detention”.