Reform UK Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf has condemned the government after the President of the SAS Regimental Association warned that legal action against British troops is undermining national security.
“In a remarkable intervention, the President of the SAS Regimental Association has accused the government of ‘not having the backs’ of British troops”, Yusuf said.
Brig Ed Butler, a former commanding officer of 22 SAS and the new president of the SAS Regimental Association, warned that “lawfare” against serving and former personnel was already deterring soldiers from applying for special forces selection.
“This is directly affecting our national security and impacting recruitment”, Yusuf said.
This comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepares to bring Labour’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill back before Parliament. The legislation would replace the Legacy Act, which effectively ended Troubles-era prosecutions, inquests and civil cases.
“Why do the political class seek the persecution of our own troops?”
Last autumn, a former paratrooper known as Soldier F was put on trial over the Bloody Sunday killings, more than five decades after the event. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges, but the case renewed fears that veterans could be dragged through lengthy legal proceedings for actions taken during the Troubles.
SAS veterans in particular are under fire over operations in Afghanistan, with around 150 former personnel warned that they may be questioned or required to provide evidence to the ongoing Haddon-Cave inquiry into alleged unlawful killings.
“There is an ongoing effort to disarm Britain by prosecuting our most courageous and elite warfighters”, Yusuf said.
“Reform will take the opposite approach. We will grant immunity from prosecution to British Armed Forces for actions taken during combat operations. We will have their backs. We will rebuild and rearm this great country.”
“In a remarkable intervention, the President of the SAS Regimental Association has accused the government of ‘not having the backs’ of British troops”, Yusuf said.
Brig Ed Butler, a former commanding officer of 22 SAS and the new president of the SAS Regimental Association, warned that “lawfare” against serving and former personnel was already deterring soldiers from applying for special forces selection.
“This is directly affecting our national security and impacting recruitment”, Yusuf said.
This comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepares to bring Labour’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill back before Parliament. The legislation would replace the Legacy Act, which effectively ended Troubles-era prosecutions, inquests and civil cases.
“Why do the political class seek the persecution of our own troops?”
Last autumn, a former paratrooper known as Soldier F was put on trial over the Bloody Sunday killings, more than five decades after the event. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges, but the case renewed fears that veterans could be dragged through lengthy legal proceedings for actions taken during the Troubles.
SAS veterans in particular are under fire over operations in Afghanistan, with around 150 former personnel warned that they may be questioned or required to provide evidence to the ongoing Haddon-Cave inquiry into alleged unlawful killings.
“There is an ongoing effort to disarm Britain by prosecuting our most courageous and elite warfighters”, Yusuf said.
“Reform will take the opposite approach. We will grant immunity from prosecution to British Armed Forces for actions taken during combat operations. We will have their backs. We will rebuild and rearm this great country.”
