There are fears soldiers who served in Northern Ireland will face vexatious prosecutions (Image: Getty Images)
Kemi Badenoch met with veterans ahead of the Wednesday evening vote (Image: Conservative Party)
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch vowed to keep up the fight to protect veterans who served in Northern Ireland after Labour voted to scrap measures to protect them from prosecutions. Former members of the special forces condemned Labour’s decision to scrap protections put in place by the Conservatives which offered people conditional immunity if they provided information about Troubles-era atrocities. It is feared members of the armed forces who served in the province during the years of terrorism will face politically-motivated prosecutions.
Mrs Badenoch, who met with veterans before the vote, warned of the danger to recruitment to the armed forces, saying: “Labour’s plans won’t just impact those veterans facing prosecution today, but also those thinking about joining our armed forces in the future, because why would anyone choose to serve and fight for their country if they don’t think the government will have their backs afterwards?
“The Conservatives won’t stop fighting Labour on this in the Commons and the Lords. We will always stand up for our veterans.”
MPs voted for legislation to remove immunity and allow people to pursue civil cases. To come into force it must be approved in the House of Lords, where Conservatives hope to stop it in its tracks.
SAS veteran Bob Parr wanted the Government is doing the “polar opposite” of what was intended through the peace process.
Warning it will “reopen old wounds and delay reconciliation,” he said: “The Prime Minister should step in and put an end to this nonsense with immediate effect.”
Read more: ‘Disgraceful’ – Starmer slammed for ‘madness’ of putting veterans in the dock
Read more: New battle to protect veterans from prosecution about to begin
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer defended the Labour’s actions, saying: “Under the last government, they passed legislation which was struck down, leaving our veterans utterly exposed. We’re putting in place proper measures to protect them.”
Labour is pushing through a new law which is intended to protect veterans from repeated investigations and allow them to give evidence from home.
But fellow veteran Aldwin Wight, who led the 22 SAS regiment, said: “This vote tells veterans the war never ends. They did their duty for the state, but the state won’t draw a line for them.
“Labour has voted to turn Northern Ireland into a permanent courtroom and Britain’s veterans into permanent suspects.”
George Simm, a former regimental sergeant major with the SAS, said: “The Good Friday Agreement was meant to end the conflict. This vote reopens it — not with bombs, but with lawyers.”
And David Maddan, a retired SAS squadron commander, said: “The MPs that voted through the Remedial Order today have committed an outrage that veterans will not forget. Those who served their country in Northern Ireland have been opened up to endless civil cases.”
Soldiers were deployed in Northern Ireland amid fears of carnage in the province (Image: Mirrorpix)
Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Alex Burghart MP, Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, said: “The Government had a clear opportunity to stand behind those who put their lives on the line to protect this country. Instead, the Prime Minister’s spinelessness means our veterans will once again be left vulnerable to historic and politically motivated claims, dredged up decades after the events themselves.”
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said: “Those brave soldiers risked everything to protect us, the least we can do is to protect them in return, by opposing Labour’s plan.”
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