Reform’s armed forces spokesman pledges to end legal action against veterans
Reform UK’s new armed forces spokesman has vowed to end prosecutions of serving military personnel and veterans within the first 100 days of a government led by the party.
Angus MacIntyre, who left a 40-year career in the forces to join Reform UK, on Thursday said his focus on entering government would be ending legal cases, like those against veterans who served in Northern Ireland.
Elderly veterans whose military service took them to Northern Ireland have faced court appearances over recent years for their actions during the Troubles.
The Government is attempting to curb the number of investigations faced by veterans, with a new law currently making its way through Parliament, but has met with criticism from all communities in Northern Ireland about details of the Bill.
Special forces personnel who served in Afghanistan have also faced investigation over allegations of unlawful killings.
In a rally where he was announced as Reform’s armed forces spokesman, Mr MacIntyre said: “Today, our current Government actively handicaps them and all service personnel with the threat of prosecutions.
“Under Reform UK, this will stop. This is my pledge. Within 100 days of a Reform government being formed, we will end all ongoing and future prosecutions of service personnel and veterans, save with the explicit consent of the Secretary of State for Defence.
“This isn’t just a moral duty. This is a national security imperative, which is why if I fail in those first 100 days, I will resign as the armed forces minister.
“All Reform cabinet members have made such a pledge, and we will be the first government since the Second World War that believes in accountability for our actions.”
Mr MacIntyre would serve as the armed forces minister should Reform UK win power in future. The party is yet to announce who would fill the role of defence secretary.
Mr MacIntyre’s military career began in the British Army in 1986.
He took part in attachments to the Royal Marines and Parachute Regiment, with deployments in Arctic Norway, Northern Ireland and the jungles of Brunei.
In 1999, he transferred to the RAF Regiment, the specialist ground forces who protect airfields, and completed operational tours in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Iraq, and Somalia.
His later career has seen him work in academia, earning an MA in applied security strategy at the University of Exeter, and in global affairs: he spent a year in Mogadishu with the UN headquarters in Somalia, negotiating between the UN and Somali National Army.
Mr MacIntyre also spent 12 months in the Pentagon as a strategic planner, contributing to work on infectious diseases and the US’s Space Force.
He most recently completed a course on the changing character of war at Pembroke College, Oxford, and has lectured on Nato deterrence at All Souls College, Oxford, according to Reform.
Luke Pollard, a Labour defence minister, said: “The first duty of any government is to keep the country safe, yet it took Reform nearly 2,000 days to find someone to focus on Britain’s defences.
“Treating our national security as an afterthought tells you everything you need to know about Nigel Farage – he’s weak on Putin, weak on defence and weak on leadership.
“Farage’s negligence on defence is no surprise – he’s spent years parroting the Kremlin’s talking points, while his former leader in Wales is in prison for taking pro-Russian bribes.
“I’m proud to be part of Andy Burnham’s Labour Government, delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.
“Labour has backed our armed forces with the largest pay rise in over 20 years and a new defence investment plan to keep Britain safe now and in the future.”