Armed Forces Minister Al Carns (Image: Getty)
Years after the worst of the violence, the past still reverberates in the present. That legacy exists because of the suffering endured by so many – and because of the political courage it took to move beyond it. Strong leadership delivered the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and showed that progress was possible when leaders chose peace over political comfort, and were willing to take the risks that came with it.
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Labour minister Al Carns is a Royal Marines veteran (Image: Getty)
Those experiences shape how seriously I approach the question of how we deal with the past. They also make me cautious. Northern Ireland’s legacy cannot be settled with slogans or absolutes. It demands care, restraint and responsibility from government.
The last government attempted to address this legacy through legislation introduced in the context of deep frustration with a process that was failing many who had lived with its consequences for decades. In practice, however, it failed to command confidence.
Its core provisions were opposed by all the victims’ groups, rejected across much of Northern Ireland, and ultimately rejected by our domestic courts. On the surface it provided a veil of certainty for Veterans who were told they would be protected, yet many remained exposed to repeated investigation, with no clear route to resolution; and the constant threat of the legislation being legally challenged. The families of our Armed Forces, security services and innocent civilians seeking answers felt betrayed. They saw a form of immunity offered to the terrorists responsible, without a process that reliably delivered the truth.
That failure left any incoming government with an unavoidable task: to repair what was broken, lawfully and credibly, while recognising that no solution will satisfy every perspective.
As a veteran myself, my priority is veterans. And there is no moral equivalence between our Armed Forces who safeguard our home, and everything we hold dear, and terrorist organisations. To forget that, would do us the gravest harm. Our Armed Forces are willing to lay down their lives for us, for the nation and a purpose that is bigger than themselves. They must know that we have their backs too.
I speak to veterans almost every day; they are friends and colleagues I have fought side by side with, and it is for them, and everyone who chooses this honourable path of service, that we are developing this set of comprehensive safeguards that will be written credibly into law. These include protections against endless reinvestigation, recognition of age and health, anonymity, representation within the new legacy structures, and practical measures to limit unnecessary disruption in later life. These are not shields from accountability, but protections against a process that has too often been wielded as a punishment through repetition and weaponisation of the law.
For the families of lost loved ones – too often overlooked – the legislation creates a more realistic route to information, answers and justice in cases that have remained unresolved for decades, including the deaths of British service personnel and civilians killed by terrorist organisations. For the first time, this Government has secured commitments from the Irish Government, including to share information held by the Irish authorities about killings that took place on UK soil and to establish a new legacy investigations unit within the Irish police. For families who have waited years, sometimes decades, the chance for truth really matters.
Finally, it places clear obligations on the new Commission to consider the wider context in which incidents occurred. That matters because we must not allow certain groups to rewrite history and it must be handled honestly. Over 90 per cent of those killed during the Troubles were murdered by terrorist organisations. British service personnel operated in uniquely difficult and dangerous circumstances, always making split-second decisions under intense pressure. Any serious attempt at truth must reflect that reality.
None of this diminishes the suffering of innocent victims or their families. But it does move us away from a system that has too often prolonged pain without delivering answers.
I do not pretend this legislation will end disagreement. Northern Ireland’s past cannot be legislated away. But government does have a responsibility to put in place a process that is lawful, balanced and capable of commanding confidence over time.
For those who served, and for families who have waited decades for the truth, doing nothing was never an option. This is an effort to conclude unfinished business responsibly, protect our veterans and ensure victims are not left trapped indefinitely in the shadow of the Troubles.