Scrapping Troubles legislation should be top of new NI Secretary Chris Bryant's checklist

The DUP has urged the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to stop and listen before taking any further action on laws dealing with the legacy of the Troubles.

The comments come after Sir Chris Bryant said that progressing the controversial laws was among a “checklist” of issues he wishes to address.

placeholder image — DUP leader Gavin Robinson speaking to the media at CS Lewis Square in Belfast, after Sir Chris Bryant was appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Pic: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

He said that list also includes “economic opportunity” for young people, a functioning executive and public services.

However, DUP boss Gavin Robinson says withdrawing the Troubles legislation should be the first item on Mr Bryant’s checklist.

The East Belfast MP said: “The new Secretary of State has indicated a willingness to listen, and that is a welcome starting point. The first item on Chris Bryant’s checklist should be withdrawing this failed legislation.

“It is vital that he then follows through by engaging meaningfully with those who have lived with the consequences of terrorism.

“The Government’s approach to legacy has already caused deep hurt to innocent victims, undermined confidence across the community and created continuing uncertainty for those who served this country with courage and distinction.

“A new Secretary of State should not become the latest custodian of a failed legacy policy. Simply pressing ahead with the same failed agenda under a different Secretary of State will not command confidence.

“If Chris Bryant is serious about making progress, he should withdraw the current legislation and return with proposals that are built on consensus.

“That means taking the time to listen and to learn from victims, veterans and the wider community before taking decisions that will shape how Northern Ireland deals with its past.

“The DUP has been clear and consistent. We will oppose any approach that seeks to rewrite history, draw false moral equivalence between those who defended democracy and those who sought to destroy it, or expose veterans to endless cycles of investigation while terrorists are protected by the passage of time.

“There can be no credible legacy process while veterans remain in the dock and terrorists escape scrutiny.

“The Secretary of State also has a role in encouraging the Irish Government to do more to uncover the truth about the past. A balanced and credible legacy framework must involve all parties taking responsibility.

“There is an opportunity to reset the Government’s approach. That begins by recognising the unique service and sacrifice of our veterans and delivering a legacy framework that is fair, balanced and commands genuine public confidence.”

The last government under Sir Keir Starmer had begun the process of repealing and replacing the Legacy Act, introduced by their Tory predecessors.

Speaking to the BBC after taking over the role of NI Secretary from Hilary Benn, Chris Bryant also said a border poll was “not on my list of priorities at the moment”.

“I just want to get this legacy legislation through parliament in the way that works for everybody. I want to make sure we have the executive fully functioning.

“We need to make sure every young person in Northern Ireland sees an economic opportunity for themselves in Northern Ireland and for their family," he added.

The Labour MP has been a strong supporter of the Windsor Framework, claiming that it is an economic advantage for Northern Ireland.

“You've got the best of both worlds being in the single market and in the United Kingdom. We need to exploit all these economic opportunities. Let's lift our eyes to much bigger horizons about economic prosperity”, he told the BBC’s political editor, Enda McClafferty.

Unionists dispute these claims, pointing out that the UK’s internal market and supply chains have been heavily disrupted by having a physical and regulatory border in the Irish Sea.

TUV leader Jim Allister told the News Letter this week that “no self‑respecting country would tolerate such a system, yet this is the framework Sir Chris Bryant appears willing to administer”.

He said his “concerns are deepened” by Mr Bryant’s opposition to the Supreme Court’s ruling on sex, “a ruling that affirmed what many regard as an essential biological reality”, the MP for North Antrim said.