Northern Ireland Troubles Bill not an amnesty for soldiers - Sir Chris Bryant

Troubles legacy bill is not an amnesty for soldiers - NI secretary Image source, Pacemaker Image caption, The Troubles was a period of conflict which lasted for 30 years and cost the lives of more than 3,500 people By Jayne McCormack , political correspondent , Brendan Hughes , political reporter  and  Eimear Flanagan , BBC News NI Published 19 October 2026, 00:00 BST Updated 1 hour ago The secretary of state for Northern Ireland has rejected claims that planned changes to the government's Troubles legacy bill amount to an "amnesty" for former soldiers. Sir Chris Bryant said it was "completely wrong" to suggest a requirement for the attorney general to consent to serious Troubles-related prosecutions was designed to pardon veterans. The proposal is among a series of government amendments being debated by MPs on Monday after the long-awaited legislation returned to the House of Commons. Speaking to BBC News NI, Bryant said it was a "sensible measure" to ensure there was "more consistency" in how decisions are made. The legislation seeks to deal with the unresolved legacy of the decades-long violent conflict in Northern Ireland, which cost the lives of more than 3,500 people. It was first introduced to Parliament last year following agreement on a joint framework with the Irish government. More on this story NI Secretary defends planned changes to Troubles bill Published 6 days ago Attorney general approval required for serious Troubles prosecutions Published 6 days ago New legislation on Troubles legacy deal introduced in Westminster Published 14 October 2025 The government has said its amendments would "significantly reduce" the prospect of military veterans facing "rinse and repeat" investigations. While some MPs have previously argued that planned protections for veterans do not go far enough, Sinn Féin has branded the amendments a "veterans' charter". The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has also raised concerns that MPs will not have enough time to scrutinise the proposed changes. Image source, Reuters Image caption, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant said the bill will help Troubles victims' families Sir Chris defended his plans for the attorney general to give consent to serious prosecutions, saying it was a recommendation in a recent Westminster human rights committee. "We're not carving the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland out of the process," he said. "They're going to be working with the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales to make sure that they've got the same kind of rules and guidelines that apply to all of the prosecutions." "The attorney general often exercises this kind of role. It's very different from their normal role, but it is something they do quite often." 'Control and cover up' fears Mark Thompson from the victims' group Relatives For Justice said he feared the bill could lead to unlawful killings being covered up by the state. "Essentially, this impacts the victims of collusion and state violence," he told the BBC's Sunday Politics programme . He accused the government of trying to take "control" away from local courts because it did not like some of the recent rulings in Troubles-era cases. He pointed out that judges had ruled against the Army in "dozens" of inquests into killings carried out by soldiers, including those at Ballymurphy and Springhill . Thompson argued that local courts had provided a "level playing field" but instead the government caved under pressure from the Army veterans' lobby in London. "What they [the government] want to do is lift it out of a rule of law process and bring it to London and have a political decision." Veterans wanted 'Supreme Court judge' However, lawyer Philip Barden, who has represented several ex-soldiers, claimed Army veterans were "put through the mill" in cases where there was "no evidence". "What we want is an independent process so its not the PPS and the DPP deciding in Northern Ireland who it is who should be prosecuted," Barden told the programme. "We wanted a Supreme Court judge as being the most independent person that we could conceive of - not being a political appointment. "The government have come up with the attorney general of the UK, who of course makes many decisions to prosecute people." A spokesperson for the PPS said the organisation has "considerable experience in the prosecution of legacy cases". "We will continue to approach our decision-making with complete impartiality and independence and in accordance with our Code for Prosecutors." They added: "The proposed role for the Advocate General for Northern Ireland in relation to legacy prosecutions is a matter of government policy and ultimately for Parliament." Image source, Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire Image caption, Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith (centre left) supported a veterans' protest in London last month Barden defended the government's choice, saying if people disagreed with the UK attorney general's decisions they could always seek a judicial review, arguing that there was "complete independence". He added that veterans' "primary cause of concern" was the number of repeat investigations into Troubles cases, despite a lack of any new or compelling evidence. 'Too much politics' Natasha Butler's grandfather, Paddy Butler, was killed by the Army on the Springhill estate in Belfast in July 1972. She said she wants to "ensure victims and survivors are not lost in the politics surrounding this bill". She added that "families have waited decades" for answers and the next generations "inherit the same silence". David Crabbe served in the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Regiment during the Troubles from 1977 to 2007. He feels "there has been too much politics at play in this" and called on the bill to be "victim-centred". He added that "there has been a very narrow focus" on veterans. 'A work in progress' Image caption, Joe McVey says the the bill is "not perfect", but is keen to see it progressed The commissioner for victims and survivors for Northern Ireland said legislation "needs to be truly victims centred". Speaking on Good Morning Ulster , Joe McVey described the bill as "not perfect", but added "we're very keen that the bill is progressed" as it is "still a work in progress" and needs to be scrutinised in the House of Lords. "When you look at the Troubles' Bill, we think there's an absence on a focus on victims and survivors and I think that's the message we keep trying to make very clear." He added: "If we don't do it this time, then I think it'll be very difficult to predict when it's going to get a hearing again." Why is Labour bringing this bill? It seeks to replace the previous Conservative government's contentious 2023 Legacy Act , which introduced a ban on inquests and civil actions related to Troubles-era incidents. The act's most controversial element - offering immunity from prosecution to suspects who cooperated with an information recovery body - was disapplied after being found by the courts to be unlawful. Labour's bill involves a legacy commission to investigate Troubles-related killings, a separate information recovery body, and a dedicated legacy unit within An Garda Síochána (Irish police). The government said its amendments "significantly reduce" the prospect of military veterans facing "rinse and repeat" investigations. What is the government proposing to change? The government said: The legislation will make clear the commission and coroners "must not regard the lawful conduct of members of the armed forces as equivalent to the actions of paramilitaries responsible for acts of terrorism" The attorney general, currently Ellie Reeves, will be required to consent to all "serious" Troubles-related prosecutions There would be measures to prevent "cold-calling" of veterans and extending provisions for remote attendance as part of the commission's work Before any witness can be approached, the commission should consider if "compelling new evidence exists, or the likelihood of a witness being able to provide new information" The commission must consider the "context and command orders" in which military veterans were operating Former paramilitaries are barred from being appointed to the Victims and Survivors Advisory Group, and there is a requirement for at least one veteran or veterans' representative to be on the panel There is a statutory review of the measures for veterans to ensure they "deliver as intended" Opposition parties and backbench MPs have also tabled separate amendments aimed at changing the bill, but it is up to the Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to decide whether any of them will be accepted for debate. Related topics Northern Ireland The Troubles UK government Chris Bryant