Sir Keir Starmer's Northern Ireland veterans' tsar has denounced Labour's proposal to abolish legislation shielding Troubles veterans from legal action, calling it morally wrong and discriminatory.
David Johnstone, appointed by Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn in January to represent veterans' interests, said repealing the Legacy Act would create "two-tier justice" in the province of Ulster.
The commissioner, a former Army reservist, has called on the Government to abandon its plans, arguing that the repeal would result in a system where ex-IRA members enjoy legal safeguards denied to military veterans.
Johnstone warned that abolishing the 2023 law could result in as many as 70 ex-servicemen facing prosecution for actions taken whilst serving in Northern Ireland.
Labour are proposing abolishing legislation shielding Troubles veterans from legal action
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"You could be looking at 50, 60, 70 soldiers having files passed to the PPS [Northern Ireland's public prosecution service], many of them ending up in the dock," he told The Telegraph.
Johnstone expressed particular concern about the disparity in treatment, noting that numerous attacks on British forces during the Troubles were never adequately investigated.
He emphasised that veterans would face legal proceedings "for doing their jobs" on behalf of the British Government decades ago.
The Legacy Act, passed in 2023, halted new historical inquests into deaths during the Troubles and blocked civil actions related to the conflict.
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The legislation established the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery to examine deaths and serious injuries from that period.
Labour committed in its manifesto to scrap the law, citing opposition from Irish political parties and victims' groups, as well as concerns about compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Johnstone estimates that 33 inquests would "almost certainly" resume if the legislation is repealed, with approximately half involving state forces who fired weapons.
He cautioned that scrapping the legislation would result in "vexatious lawfare" targeting former soldiers.
Starmer's Northern Ireland veterans' tsar has criticised Labour's proposal
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He explained: "It's lopsided, it's two-tier justice, and if the Government thinks that they can reverse this and there not be pushback from veterans.
"Well, I think they're in for a surprise, because veterans are just not going to stand for it."
His intervention comes as Labour's legislative programme faces increasing resistance from the Armed Forces community.
Parliament is scheduled to debate the issue next month following a petition supporting protections for veterans from Troubles prosecutions, which has attracted more than 145,000 signatures.
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