Prime Minister denies throwing veterans ‘to the wolves to pander to Sinn Fein’

Former defence minister Mark Francois pressed Sir Keir Starmer on plans for the Northern Ireland Legacy Act.

Published Oct 30

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on his way to face questions in the Commons on Wednesday

Sir Keir Starmer has denied throwing veterans of the Troubles “to the wolves to pander to Sinn Fein”.

During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, Conservative former defence minister Mark Francois pressed Sir Keir on plans for the Northern Ireland Legacy Act, which Labour vowed to repeal and replace in its 2024 general election manifesto.

The Prime Minister replied with the words “I’m not” after Mr Francois asked: “As we approach Remembrancetide, one group of veterans we all owe a great debt to are those who served during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein's Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland's First Minister — Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill is Northern Ireland’s First Minister (Niall Carson/PA)

“Hundreds were killed. Thousands were maimed by both Republican and so-called Loyalist bombs, many of those veterans now in the autumn of their lives, and yet you’re proposing to repeal the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill which was designed in part to protect them from endless investigation and re-investigation.

“Why, sir, are you throwing those veterans to the wolves to pander to Sinn Fein?”

The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act halted legacy inquests and set up the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to look into past cases.

Amnesty International UK has previously accused the Government of “letting people get away with murder and blocking victims in the UK from getting justice” as a result of the law, and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has vowed to bring in “mechanisms to address the legacy of the Troubles that fully comply with human rights”.