Northern Ireland

Farage pledges amnesty for convicted Troubles veterans under Reform government

British military veterans convicted for their roles during the Troubles in Northern Ireland would be pardoned under a Reform UK government, Nigel Farage has said.

The party leader's promise came during an event in London to launch the Veterans for Reform party group, with improvements to post-service housing and mental health provision said to be on top of the checklist if the party came into power.

Speaking before a London audience with representation from the forces community, party chairman David Bull described the current treatment of former personnel as "totally and utterly unacceptable", before he introduced Mr Farage.

Mr Farage, took aim at prosecutions, saying: "Not just of people who did their job in very, very tense, difficult and dangerous circumstances in Northern Ireland up to half a century ago – but now they're going after our special forces.

"They're after the SAS for virtually any action that took place in Afghanistan or Iraq," he said.

The party leader said he'd end prosecutions of this nature against veterans through legislation or the royal prerogative of mercy, and stop future legal action.

Earlier this month, MPs voted to remove a measure providing conditional immunity from prosecutions for Troubles-era crimes from the previous Conservative government's Legacy Act.

Immunity from prosecution was offered to anyone accused of crimes during the Troubles in Northern Ireland if they provided information to a truth recovery body.

While the Legacy Act was approved in 2023, it was not enacted; the High Court in Belfast ruled parts of the act were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights in 2024.

The then-Conservative government began the process of appealing the High Court decision, but this was dropped by Labour ministers after the 2024 general election.

More than 3,500 people died during 30 years of bloodshed and bombings known as the Troubles

'Vexatious claims'

Labour is repealing the act and replacing it with new legislation, meaning some inquests into events will resume.

Last September, the UK and Ireland jointly announced the creation of a Legacy Commission, a collaborative framework to scrutinise the implications of the Troubles and find answers for families who lost loved ones.

Under the framework, inquests that had commenced but not been completed before the Legacy Act came into force last year will be restored.

"I promise you that a Reform government will end all of these vexatious claims taken against our veterans from conflict after conflict," Mr Farage told the London audience.

More than 3,500 people died during 30 years of bloodshed and bombings known as the Troubles, which began in January 1969 when the UK government sent troops to Northern Ireland.

Labour's Legacy Commission framework involves Irish authorities cooperating with UK investigations and introduces a new package of protections for Northern Ireland veterans.

This includes protections against repeated investigations, under which the commission has a statutory duty not to duplicate the work of any previous investigations unless there are compelling reasons to do so.