5 days ago
Starmer's veteran woes are just beginning
As hundreds of veterans marching past the Cenotaph brought Whitehall to a halt yesterday afternoon, inside parliament a debate was held on the government's plan to repeal the Northern Ireland Legacy and Reconciliation Act. Passed by Boris Johnson, this aimed to prevent veterans from being prosecuted for all but the most serious crimes committed during the Northern Ireland 'Troubles' from the 1960s to 1998. Labour's bid to scrap the legislation has sparked fury among veterans – and has left Alistair Carns, the Veterans Minister, on resignation watch.
The Westminster Hall debate on the subject, which was held after 176,000 voters signed a petition in protest, was quite a spectacle: the gallery was packed with berets; soldiers' medals twinkling in the light. Rows of veterans sat silently in the audience, bound by service to remain apolitical. Sketch writer Quentin Letts, who has sat in parliament for nearly 40 years, suggested it was 'the biggest turnout I have seen for a Westminster Hall debate.'
That turnout is reflective of the strength of feeling on this issue. Speaking for the government was Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland Secretary. He told attendees that 'only one soldier' had been convicted of a Troubles-related death since 1998. He argued that of the 250,000 living veterans, 'the number being prosecuted for offences has been very, very small.' Benn said he acknowledged concerns but that Labour had no choice but to rewrite the legislation as it had been deemed incompatible with human rights law.
At least one minister though, seems to disagree with Benn's views. The Times today reports that Carns could be on the verge of quitting. He surprised colleagues by turning up at a drop-in briefing last week on Labour's plans to repeal Johnson's legislation. Carns, a veteran himself, told Benn that he cannot support the proposals. It puts him on a crash course with both the Northern Ireland Secretary, who wants victims' families to be able to claim compensation, and the Labour manifesto.
During the last election, Labour made much of Carns' candidacy. A winner of the Military Cross, he was thought to be a future head of the Royal Marines. Starmer's party hailed Carns as one of 14 veterans standing for parliament. Within days of the result, the Prime Minister appointed him a Defence Minister. To lose Carns on a point of principle so soon after his appointment would be an embarrassing blow to No. 10.
It would also be a harbinger of what is to come. Stories about prosecutions for acts committed in the line of service are likely to be a staple feature of British politics over the next 18 months. Robert Jenrick and Dominic Cummings are among those who have raised the issue of the Special Forces. There are fears that historic prosecutions are deterring military recruitment today. Why fight for your country, the argument goes, when you might be prosecuted by a court 30 years later?
Then there is the matter of Gwyn Jenkins, the new head of the Royal Navy. His appointment in May raised eyebrows in Whitehall, given his service as head of UK Special Forces in Afghanistan when alleged war crimes were committed. These are now the subject of a public inquiry. Should it find against Jenkins, how will a Starmer government – which features the likes of Lord Hermer – react?
The Tories clearly sense an opening here. Led by David Davis, defence spokesman James Cartlidge and his deputy Mark Francois, this is an issue that is both deeply emotive and of immense potential political impact. Carns' threats and the public pressure show that this is an issue which is not going to go away for Starmer.
