North Down MP Alex Easton has raised serious concerns about the Government’s Legacy and Reconciliation Bill, warning that it risks equating innocent victims of terrorism with those who carried out violence during the Troubles — and fails to deliver the protections promised to veterans.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Easton urged the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to ensure that the Government’s approach to legacy issues places the rights of innocent victims and their families above those who perpetrated acts of terror.
“There can never be moral equivalence between those who took innocent lives and those who lost loved ones through terrorism,” said Mr Easton. “The Legacy Bill must never provide comfort or justification to those who waged a campaign of murder and destruction across Northern Ireland.”
Mr Easton also condemned the Government’s claims that the Legacy Bill offers protection to veterans, describing the measures as wholly inadequate and misleading. He referred to the Secretary of State’s recent comments that no veterans will be required to travel to Northern Ireland, and that any investigation or if found guilty prosecutions could instead take place via online Teams meetings.
“That is not protection — it is a disgrace,” Mr Easton said. “To suggest that holding prosecutions over a computer screen somehow constitutes fairness or protection is an insult to the brave men and women who risked their lives to defend our country. It is simply window dressing to disguise the fact that veterans remain exposed to legal pursuit decades after serving with honour.”
Mr Easton further criticised remarks from the Irish Prime Minister, who stated that there would be no further protections built in for veterans, saying this reinforced the perception that the UK Government’s approach was one-sided and unjust.
“The Secretary of State cannot claim this Bill protects those who served while the Irish Prime Minister publicly rules out any additional safeguards for them,” Mr Easton continued. “Our veterans deserve real protection — not political platitudes.”
The North Down MP also warned against allowing terrorists to rewrite history under the guise of reconciliation.
“We must never allow the Legacy Bill to distort the truth of what happened,” he said. “The record must remain clear: the IRA and their fellow travellers were responsible for the campaign of terror that murdered men, women, and children and tore communities apart. The focus must stay firmly on innocent victims — not on those who inflicted suffering.”
Mr Easton concluded by calling on the Government to rethink and strengthen the Legacy Bill, ensuring that justice, truth, and genuine protection for veterans are at its core.
“Our veterans, our victims, and our history deserve better than this,” he said. “The Government must deliver real justice and real protection — not lip service.”
Mr Easton also asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to list all the inquests that will actually go ahead under the new Legacy and Reconciliation Bill.
Alex Easton MP
Member of Parliament for North Down
