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ITV News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Northern Ireland Secretary Benn accuses Conservatives of making 'false promises' to Army veterans
Hundreds of veterans have marched outside Parliament to protest against the possible repeal of the Legacy Act. MPs debated the Act inside the House of Commons for almost three hours on Monday. The controversial Legacy Act was put in place by the former Conservative Government to stop all but the most serious Troubles-related cases in Northern Ireland from being investigated further. The Labour Government announced it would replace the act after criticism over immunity for soldiers by human rights groups. Army veterans fear a repeal could lead to a 'two-tier' justice system in which IRA paramilitaries are given immunity but British soldiers are left open to prosecution. Aldwin Wight, 72, a former special forces commanding officer who lives in Cornwall, said: 'These are people we've served with.'They're very close to us, and seeing them caught up in this sort of endless doom loop of legislation is not good.'We're in a fairly dark situation at the moment in security terms and therefore there are going to be incidents and you've got to have people who are willing to step forward and take on the hard tasks.'And you don't want to do that as it were, with your solicitor in your pocket.'You want to do it with a clear operational view of what you're doing.'Conservative and Labour MPs are deeply divided on the issue. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party who served in Northern Ireland, said: "We are after one purpose and one purpose only, to find a way to protect those veterans who have been pursued through the courts in a vexatious manner and destroying their lives in the later years". Labour MP Louise Jones said: "The Legacy Act, as it stands, gives immunity to terrorists. That is abhorrent". UUP MP Robin Swann told MPs party divisions will not protect veterans."The points scoring that has went on owes somewhat of a disservice to the veterans who are listening and those who served. "There is a duty now to get this right ", he said. All the Unionist parties voiced their concerns about the government's future leader Gavin Robinson said: "Our responsibility as parliamentarians from across this United Kingdom is to say no. We will not assist your request to rewrite the history of the past." UUP leader Jim Alister said: "If this government is going to tackle legacy issues then it needs to tackle and to stem that route which is now producing the potential prosecution of some of the bravest of our citizens."The government has not yet revealed what it proposes as an alternative, but the Secretary of State is adamant the previous government's Legacy Act must be Benn MP said: "We can't have anymore false promises or undeliverable pledges. Pledges that our court have found to be unlawful and that is why we will fix the mess we inherited." Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
SAS war hero who fought in Falklands SLAMS Labour for ‘persecuting & betraying veterans' on 80th anniversary of VE Day
AN SAS war hero has attacked Sir Keir Starmer for betraying Britain's veterans – on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Falklands War legend Aldwin Wight, who led 22 SAS regiment, led a surprise assault on No10, raging that: 'The trust between veterans and their former employer, the government, is broken.' 2 Wight, a former Brigadier, issued a rallying cry to fellow veterans to 'foment a public outcry against the government'. In a three page dossier, released tomorrow, entitled "commanding officer's statement," he accused the Labour government of 'institutional amnesia'. He said veterans who served in Northern Ireland faced decades of legal witch hunts which had "denigrated their service," ruined soldiers lives and left many of them trapped in a "doom loop". He wrote: 'This persecution of veterans is inexplicable, in fact bewildering.' Wight, who led the SAS from 1992 to 1994, added: 'Having directly contributed to the defeat of the IRA, bent on using murder as a political tool, the veterans of this campaign now find themselves prosecuted by their former employer, the Government they served and trusted, whilst the terrorists have been absolved of their crimes and set free, even compensated.' It comes after Keir Starmer wrote an open letter to all veterans to say 'how thankful we all are' on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe Starmer said the debt to veterans 'can never be repaid'. Wight accused the Prime Minister of forgetting how violent the IRA were. He wrote: "Nowadays there is a collective institutional amnesia in government of the level of violence perpetrated by the IRA: 4,000 murders, indiscriminate bombing campaigns in Northern Ireland and the mainland, an attempt to kill a Prime Minister, murdering Mountbatten, attacking the City of London, Omagh and other horrors, endless assassinations." He said the terrorist would never have been beaten and the Good Friday peace never agreed without the work of the SAS and local police. SAS legend who stormed the Iranian Embassy forced to launch public appeal to pay crippling care home costs He wrote: 'The SAS, because of its experience and capabilities, drew the hardest task – apprehending armed terrorists when the intelligence indicated a major attack.' He said all of the operations had 'ministerial approval' and strict rules of engagement. But he added: 'It is worth remembering the nature of these operations. 'The reality was that a small team was tasked to apprehend armed terrorists, often in the dark, in chaotic and fast changing circumstances. 2 'There was always a direct threat to soldier's lives.' But he said: 'Professional, committed and experienced soldiers were willing to undertake these operations and face the risks, as they believed they were defending our freedoms.' In Mach The Sun revealed how the SAS association accused governments of 'badly letting down' veterans. It urged its members to break cover – and declare their Special Forces backgrounds – in order to lobby MPs about comrades who are 'unjustly hounded for doing their duty'. In February a Northern Irish coroner sparked outrage among veterans by ruling the SAS had no justification for shooting dead four IRA terrorists armed with assault rifles and an anti-aircraft gun. Former SAS Regimental Sergeant Major George Simm, 70, slammed the coroner's ruling as 'absurd'. Tory MP David Davis, who served in the SAS, said Justice Michael Humphreys was 'demonstrably wrong' and had 'ignored plain facts of the case'. Veterans Minister Al Carns, who served in the Special Forces, said the government would seek a judicial review to overturn the finding.
