MPs demand showdown with Boris Johnson about Libya-IRA victims

BBC NI Spotlight has reported that a cross-party group of MPs and peers are seeking showdown talks with Boris Johnson on compensation from Libya for victims of the Semtex it supplied to the IRA.
By Philip Bradfield
Published 15th Jun 2021, 23:15 BST
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The programme reported tonight that the Prime Minister has redirected all inquiries from the cross party group to the Foreign Office - but that they have insisted they only want to talk to him.

In 2017 MPs on the NI Affairs Committee (NIAC) recommended that the UK pay compensation immediately to all victims of Libyan Semtex supplied to the IRA - and then recoup the money from Libya.

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The government refused, however lobbying MPs and peers reportedly found a much more sympathetic ear from Mr Johnson when he was Foreign Secretary from 2016-2018. In 2018 he agreed to send an envoy to Libya to talk about compensation.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair meeting Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi at his desert base outside Sirte, south of Tripoli in 2007. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA WireFormer Prime Minister Tony Blair meeting Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi at his desert base outside Sirte, south of Tripoli in 2007. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair meeting Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi at his desert base outside Sirte, south of Tripoli in 2007. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

However when he left the Foreign Office the idea was watered down and became the William Shawcross appointment. Appointed in 2019, his task ended up being just an assessment of the scale of proposed compensation.

Giving evidence to the NIAC in March, Mr Shawcross said: “I was told by some people whom I respected, particularly in Northern Ireland but also in London, that it was a great mistake to do this report at all, because any recommendations that I made could create more turmoil and unhappiness within Northern Ireland itself.”

The BBC found that Mr Shawcross was effectively admitting that there were “respected” people lobbying against compensation because they believed it would cause divisions among victims. But it found that the Shawcross affair has now been followed up by the same group  of Lords and MPs, who have now written to Mr Johnson demanding a meeting.

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Simon Hoare, chair of NIAC, said that if the Foreign Office is “batting down the hatches” his committee will seek a meeting with the Prime Minister. “It’s an embarrassing indelible shame on the governments of this country that we have so badly let down our fellow citizens,” he said.

The government said it has “profound sympathy” for the victims. “Providing compensation for the actions of the Qadhafi regime, separate from the UK-funded support that has already been made available for victims of the Troubles, is the responsibility of the Libyan State,” it said. “We continue to press the Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State’s historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime’s support for the IRA.” 

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