The three government-appointed Veterans Commissioners have issued a statement urging the government not to alter the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 in order to completely scrap legal protections for veterans who were involved in British Army operations in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007. They say:
“We think that the Government should not make any changes to legislation that would allow Northern Ireland Veterans to be prosecuted for doing their duty in combating terrorism as part of ‘Operation Banner’ (1969–2007).”
This will come to a head on Monday when a wildly popular petition relating to the matter will be debated in Westminster Hall. The commissioners, for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales add:
“As Veterans Commissioners for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, we stand united in our firm support of the motion to be debated in Westminster on 14 July 2025… We are deeply concerned by the prospect of retrospective legal action being taken against veterans who were carrying out their lawful duties, often under immense pressure and threat. Inconsistent application of justice — particularly where it revisits incidents already thoroughly investigated — serves only to re-traumatise veterans and undermine public confidence.
They add:
“As Commissioners we have advocated strongly on behalf of veterans to the Minister for Veterans and People to ensure there are proper safeguards in place for all veterans, but particularly our most vulnerable veterans, who served to deliver peace and security to the communities of Northern Ireland. We urge the Government to resist any changes to legislation that would re-open legal uncertainty for veterans of Operation Banner. Any proposed changes must be measured, fair, and informed by the voices of veterans themselves — many of whom have already endured decades of scrutiny and hardship. This is not a call for immunity from the law, but for fairness under it. Veterans deserve clarity, finality, and respect for their service. We support this motion as a necessary reaffirmation of that principle.”
That puts Labour in an awkward spot. Richard Hermer did represent Gerry Adams in 2023 when he was being sued by victims of three IRA attacks…
Read their full statement below:
After Guido revealed 589,550 people with laughable ‘ailments’ like ‘tennis elbow’ and ‘constipation’ have been handed taxpayer-funded luxury cars, the Motability Scheme has caused outrage from the media and politicians. Now Labour has confirmed they will not review the scheme. A scandal…
Just last week, work and pensions minister Baroness Watkins told the Lords the government would “be happy to have a look” at the scheme. Now, Stephen Timms has dashed those hopes in answer to a written parliamentary question, confirming Labour will not be reviewing it. His blunt words: “There are no plans to review the Scheme’s qualifying benefits.” How long will that hold…
After attorney general Richard Hermer changed the government-wide legal advice to make it more restrictive and give himself an effective veto over policy the government has been forced to insist it is still Labour ministers who are making policy. Farcical…
Starmer’s spokesman said this afternoon that “policy decisions are always for ministers to decide” and failed to deny that the official legal advice had been changed, saying instead “the situation is unchanged in that it is always for ministers to make policy.” Not so…
Guido hears Hermer’s obstructiveness has destroyed months of work from ministers and civil servants on the Hillsborough Law – set to introduce a duty of candour on public officials. Chatter around the legislation has suggested that Labour would resort to scrapping that duty instead because it was too difficult. Starmer was forced to insist last week: “We will bring this forward – I just want to take the time to get it right.” Labour has overshot its own deadline to introduce the legislation by three months…
Hermer has instructed officials to snitch on their ministers in order for him to intervene on policy decisions. Downing Street says that his “frank legal advice” is helpful and it is in the “interests of everyone for the system to work properly.” Guido is reliably informed Starmer is one of Hermer’s last remaining friends in government…
Rutland County Council, run by the Greens and LibDems, already has one of the highest council tax rates in the country. This year, they’ve raised it by another 2% after declaring a £46.6 million deficit – triggering cuts to education, transport, and other services. Co-conspirators can guess what they did manage to find cash for though…
The council is now recruiting a brand new ‘Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Adviser’ – with a tidy salary of £41,511 and the luxury of working from home. The lucky hire will be expected to “implement the Council’s EDI strategy”, tackle “unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation“, and work on “advancing equality of opportunity between people who share and people who do not share a relevant protected characteristic.” Nicely vague…
For that, you could:
The council taxpayer may have a view on which should be prioritised. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…
Badenoch’s speech on welfare reform is targeting the Motability scheme:
“We are going to have to draw a line in the sand about which conditions the state gives out support for. Food intolerances are a medical fact, but they’re not something we should be handing out new cars for. This is not a joke. This actually happens… The Motability scheme is a perfect example of what’s going wrong with the current system. It was initially set up to help disabled people get around. Now 90% of its cars now have no adaptations whatsoever. That’s not what it was designed for. People are qualifying with conditions like drug misuse, ADHD, obesity. The assessment system surely can’t have been designed with that intention and we cannot allow it to continue for a moment longer.”
Kemi is following Guido’s reporting last week into the comical list of ailments for which PIP claimants get a free car according to official documents. Tennis elbow got a mention…
The Tory leader pointed to analysis from the Centre for Social Justice which shows restricting benefits to those with more severe mental health conditions could save £9 billion every year. One in five cars sold in the UK is now a Motability car. A sham scheme…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”