Kemi Badenoch has blasted Labour for ‘ripping up the contract’ between soldiers and the Government, as Labour MPs on Monday voted to allow Northern Ireland veterans to be ‘hounded’ through the courts.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, the leader of the opposition said that people who fought for their country ‘should not then be hounded for putting their lives on the line’ and branded Labour’s pursuit of veterans ‘completely wrong’.
Mrs Badenoch added the UK has ‘gone backwards’ under Sir Keir’s leadership, with Labour’s failure to publish its plans for Britain’s rearmament exposing ‘how little they’ve done on defence since they came in’.
And she said Sir Keir is leading the UK ‘down a dark path’ by failing to prioritise Britain’s defence.
This comes as Labour MPs voted decisively on Monday night in favour of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill – legislation that could see potentially vexatious claims brought against veterans who fought in the Troubles.
MPs voted 279 to 176 in support of a motion to carry-over the legislation into the next parliamentary session.
Conservative MPs however voted against the bill, which would see former soldiers having to appear in court to answer for their past conduct in the line of duty.
Kemi Badenoch has blasted Labour for ‘ripping up the contract’ between soldiers and the Government, as Labour MPs on Monday voted to allow Northern Ireland veterans to be ‘hounded’ through the courts
Kemi Badenoch said the UK has ‘gone backwards’ under Sir Keir’s leadership, with Labour’s failure to publish its plans for Britain’s rearmament exposing ‘how little they’ve done on defence since they came in’
Veterans who served in Northern Ireland have also vented fury over Labour’s ‘completely biased’ pursuit of British soldiers
Speaking after the vote, Alex Burghart, shadow Northern Ireland secretary, said that ‘it is evident that Labour MPs’ loyalties lie with their party overlords rather than the veterans who have courageously served our country’.
He added: ‘The Government has now opened the door to lawfare and politically motivated, vexatious claims that risk dragging elderly veterans into court rooms.
‘This bill serves only to divide our communities and to inflame distrust and hostility. That is why the Conservatives are clear, when we return to Government, we will repeal it.’
And Tory grandee Sir David Davis on Monday decried Labour’s bill as ‘nothing but a pernicious and vexatious attack against our veterans who served bravely in Northern Ireland’.
‘Labour is now scrutinising decisions made in split seconds under extreme circumstances, by soldiers doing their duty to their country,’ he said.
Veterans who served in Northern Ireland have also vented fury over Labour’s ‘completely biased’ pursuit of British soldiers.
One former soldier yesterday told the Mail the legislation would be a ‘money-fest for legacy lawyers’ if passed.
The last Conservative government sought to offer partial immunity to veterans who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles under its Legacy Act.
But in what critics have dubbed a ‘gift’ to the IRA, Monday night’s vote puts Labour closer to repealing the Tory legislation and replacing it with laws permitting new claims to be brought against British soldiers who have served.
Labour will now be able to bring the legislation back to the Commons in the next parliamentary session starting next month.
