Ex-Army Chief Voices Concern At Reports 'Amnesty' For Veterans Will Be Dropped

Boris Johnson vowed to protect veterans from prosecution before entering Number 10 (Picture: MOD).

A former head of the British Army has said he is "very disappointed" by reports that legislation to protect military veterans from prosecution has been removed from the Queen's Speech.

Boris Johnson had promised to end the pursuit of soldiers over historical allegations of offences committed in operations during the Troubles, as well as conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, the Daily Telegraph reports the Prime Minister has been persuaded to exclude the legislation from the Queen's Speech on Monday by Number 10 advisers and officials in the Northern Ireland Office.

The proposed law would have included a statutory presumption against prosecution for current or former personnel for alleged offences committed in the course of duty more than 10 years ago.

Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, General Lord Dannatt, a former chief of the general staff, said: "It is a really major issue here which the Government has got to address.

"It is unacceptable that serving soldiers, particularly large numbers of former soldiers, run the risk of prosecution as a result of operations conducted worldwide and including in Northern Ireland.

"Nobody is above the law. If soldiers have broken the law and if there is evidence to back up charges against them, then of course they must face the rigours of the law and take the consequences.

"But in the vast majority of cases, British soldiers, particularly in the campaign in Northern Ireland, got up in the morning to do their duty to keep the peace according to the rules of engagement we had, in sharp contrast to terrorists who got up in the morning whose aim was to maim and kill."