Troubles' legacy bill 'unfit for purpose' says ex-minister

Former armed forces minister Al Carns has dismissed the government's Troubles' legacy bill as being "unfit for purpose".

Carns cited his opposition to the bill as one of the reasons why he quit the government on Thursday.

In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, he said he "worked to fix the bill from the inside" but it "remains unfit for purpose" and "risks failing the very veterans it claims to protect".

A Northern Ireland Office (NIO) spokesperson said the bill is a "vital step in righting the wrongs of the flawed Legacy Act" which "left veterans exposed to a legal wild west".

Criticising the government's approach to the legislation, the former minister said the "instinct that serious problems can be managed rather than faced runs through the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill".

He also revealed how he proposed changes to the bill which were rejected.

"I set out changes I believed were necessary and the lines which I could not in good conscience go beyond. Those lines have not been accepted," he said.

"I have run out of room to argue this case honourably from inside government."

He added: "A serving minister cannot ask fellow veterans to trust a process he no longer trusts himself.

"Men and women, I served with, those I buried friends alongside, people who did their duty under conditions most individuals in Westminster will never have to imagine".

Carns also raised concerns about the lack of government investment in the armed forces.

"We ask soldiers to fight for this country. In return we owe them the kit to do the job and the loyalty to stand by them when it's done. We are failing on both" he said.

His comments have been welcomed by TUV leader Jim Allister.

"Al Carns exposed what many veterans in Northern Ireland have been saying for years." he said

He added the former "armed forces minister had warned that the proposed Troubles Bill is creating a hierarchy of truth in Northern Ireland and he is absolutely right"

The Northern Ireland Office has been asked for a response to Al Carn's criticism of the Legacy bill.

The 2023 Legacy Act was introduced by the previous Conservative government and offered conditional immunity for perpetrators of some Troubles' crimes in exchange for co-operation with a new body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

The Labour government has since introduced a new bill in parliament, with MPs already having voted to repeal the conditional immunity provision.

The new plan includes a legacy commission, a dedicated legacy unit within An Garda Síochána (Irish police) being established, as well as a package of protections for veterans.

An NIO spokesperson added that they have "listened closely to the concerns of Armed Forces associations" and the government will "shortly bring forward a substantial package of amendments to further bolster these protections".

"Suggestions that veterans will be dragged through the courts are simply wrong.

"Our Armed Forces have always been bound by the rule of law, and those who served honourably and followed the rules have absolutely nothing to fear."