Government 'facing opposition from own Ministry of Defence' over Troubles Bill say MPs as Labour moves to prolong its life

Both Sammy Wilson and Robin Swann said that among the sources of opposition to the bill is the MoD, with the former saying that the government has been left in “turmoil” over the issue.

They were speaking ahead of a vote tonight to extend the life of the bill beyond the current parliamentary session.

The 2024-26 parliamentary session will draw to a close sometime between this Wednesday and next, when parliament is prorogued.

The next session will begin with the State Opening of Parliament on May 13.

Today’s “carry-over” motion basically means that the bill will pick up again where it left off in the new session, without having to be re-introduced.

The motion is a virtual formality; with a Labour majority of 165 it is expected to sail through.

But that does not mean the bill is in for a smooth ride when it gets picked up again in the new session.

DUP MP Mr Wilson told the News Letter: “The fact it’s now having to be carried over into the next session is an indication of the turmoil there is within the government about this.

"I think on one hand you've got the Secretary of State and the Irish government driving the bill forward, and on the other hand the MoD, who understand the implications of this, especially for serving soldiers and people who may serve in the future, who are opposed to it.

"The internal tensions within the government are resulting in the bill being delayed and delayed and delayed, and I think the carry-over probably is a bit of face-saving."

He said it might have been dropped altogether but given the pressure from the Irish government, "and I suspect from Sinn Fein as well, the government has decided to keep the pretence that it's going to look at it in the next session".

He added: "These issues are not going to go away."

UUP MP Mr Swann said: “I’ll be opposing the carry-over. I think this bill is so deeply flawed that the only way this government could do itself any justice – and victims and veterans any justice – is actually to start again.

"One of their main reasons for bringing forward this Troubles legislation, they say, was because the Conservative Legacy Bill didn’t receive any support from any party in Northern Ireland.

"Any they’ve not got themselves into that exact same position.”

He said there were “over 45 pages” of amendments tabled to the bill.

He added “although there is a will in the NIO” to see the bill through, “I think part of the opposition is not only from the other parties – I think there is a certain level of opposition from within their own MoD”.

Meanwhile DUP MP Gavin Robinson said the government “have failed victims, they have failed veterans and all they’re offering now is to pick up their broken bill in a number of months time so that parliament can consider shedloads of government amendments to their own bill”.

“The truth is they have lost the confidence of victims in Northern Ireland through this process, they have lost the confidence of veterans throughout the United Kingdom during this process,” he said, adding that “the best thing for the Labour Government to have done would have been to withdraw this bill”.

When Mr Swann and Mr Wilson’s claims of opposition from within the MoD were put to the ministry, it told the News Letter: “Such claims are completely untrue.

"The 2023 Legacy Act offered the false promise of conditional immunity from prosecutions for Troubles-era crimes.

"It was found to be incompatible with international law, thrown out twice by the courts and left veterans without any protections.

"In contrast, we are bringing forward a substantial package of amendments at committee stage to further safeguard our veterans, in addition to the vital new protections already in the bill.

"There is no question of veterans being prosecuted for having followed the rules.

‘We will continue to speak to veterans’ organisations so that the amendments we bring forward are robust, workable and lawful."