Welcome and concern over planned ‘protections’ for former soldiers

Planned “protections” for former British soldiers alongside a new deal for addressing Northern Ireland’s past have sparked both concern and welcome.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer revealed a deal for veterans will be published alongside a new framework agreed by the UK and Irish governments over legacy.

Sir Keir described protections for veterans, and said former paramilitaries will not benefit from them.

It comes during the trial of a former paratrooper known as Soldier F at Belfast Crown Court for the murder of two civilians in Londonderry in 1972.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane said there should be no amnesties or special arrangements for former soldiers, while Northern Ireland’s Veterans’ Commissioner David Johnstone welcomed the Prime Minister’s statement.

Last week, as the deal was being announced, Irish deputy premier Simon Harris said any accommodations given to any one group will be afforded to everybody else who co-operates with the Legacy Commission.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane claimed there has been “contradictory statements”.

“There can be no amnesty or protection for British combatants suspected of criminal acts, including murder, during the conflict,” he said.

“Contradictory statements have emerged within the last week on this issue. I am calling on the British and Irish governments to immediately provide clarity.

“The legislation underpinning this framework must be published without delay to allow proper scrutiny.

“It should fully reflect the intent of the framework agreement and will only be meaningful if implemented in full.”

Veterans’ Commissioner Mr Johnstone welcomed Sir Keir’s announcement as “very helpful”.

He said there had been some debate since the announcement of the legacy framework last week around the protections and who they were for.

“The Prime Minister has cleared all of that up – these are protections for veterans and they do not apply to terrorists,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.

“I’m not surprised by the Prime Minister’s clarification, the three veterans commissioners lobbied very hard to the Ministry of Defence and the Government for measures that supported elderly veterans, particularly through this process.”

He added: “I think in some cases the term protections is misleading; these are designed to be safeguards, they are measures of support, they recognise the obvious distinction between those who were here lawfully, as part of the Armed Forces, and those that were terrorists.

“In no way do these safeguards or protections prevent or inhibit truth recovery or justice.”