19 October 2026
As Veterans’ Commissioners for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, we recognise that the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland is a complex and sensitive matter; one that successive UK Governments have sought to address.
It is our responsibility to be the voice of veterans across a range of important issues, not least legacy. It is our duty, therefore, to reflect honestly the views of the veterans we represent on the Government’s amendments to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill published ahead of Committee Stage.
We thank the Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Bryant, the Minister for Veterans and People and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Northern Ireland Office for the time they gave to engage personally with us on the amendments. We were encouraged by their willingness to listen to our views and by their stated intent to ensure that veterans’ concerns were addressed, particularly the ending of the
“rinse and repeat” legal process.
We have since reviewed the amendments in detail and consulted widely with the veteran
community individually and collectively as commissioners with key cohorts. Some
amendments do improve parts of the legislation from a veterans’ perspective, and these are welcome. In particular, we commend the explicit distinction of non-equivalence of security force actions with those of the terrorists. However, we are concerned that the overall intent
communicated to us by Ministers, of ensuring the legislation prevented the weaponisation of
the legal process against veterans, has not been delivered by the proposed amendments, or in the Bill as a whole. Within the gap between the Ministerial intent conveyed, and the ambiguity that remains within the Bill, lies the real potential for Operation Banner veterans to be exposed to lawfare and years of legal process. That process is, in itself, a form of persecution of those that operated lawfully, within a complex and challenging historical context.
As Veterans’ Commissioners we believe a Troubles Bill is both necessary and achievable. We commit to continue working with the Government to secure legislation that addresses the real and justifiable concerns of the veteran community.