Leo Docherty: Minister pledges 'protection' for Troubles veterans

The new veterans minister has pledged legislation "soon" to protect British troops who served during the Troubles from unfounded prosecutions.

Leo Docherty, who took up the role on Wednesday, said ministers would give ex-soldiers who served in Northern Ireland the "protection" they deserved.

His predecessor in the role, Johnny Mercer, quit on Tuesday in protest at their treatment by the government.

He was unhappy at their exclusion from a bill debated by MPs on Wednesday.

The government says the Overseas Operations Bill will protect soldiers from "vexatious claims" for alleged historical offences in conflicts overseas.

Mr Mercer said he had been "forced" to resign because the government had failed to deliver on promises for a similar law covering Northern Ireland.

• Johnny Mercer resigns as defence minister

• Plan to protect veterans from 'vexatious claims'

• Troubles prosecutions limit 'should apply to all'

He said the government had "abandoned people in a way I simply cannot reconcile" in allowing "endless investigations" into historic killings to continue.

On Wednesday, the PM's official spokesman said details of the new legislation would be announced "in the coming weeks".

"There is more to be done on the issue of the Northern Ireland legacy and we are committed to making progress on this as quickly as possible," he added.

"We are engaging with Northern Ireland parties and the community in Northern Ireland, including victims' groups as well as the Irish government, on the way forward."

Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told the BBC on Wednesday the conflict in Northern Ireland "needs to be dealt with separately".

"It was an internal UK counter terrorism operation, not an overseas war like Afghanistan or Iraq, so it was always going to require its own piece of legislation," he added.

Six former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles are currently facing prosecution.

In 2019, the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland said of 32 "legacy cases" it had ruled on since 2012, 17 related to republicans, eight to loyalists, and five were connected to the Army.

Leo Docherty, like predecessor Johnny Mercer, is a former British Army officer

Plans were announced last year by the government to restrict the number of Troubles killings which could be fully investigated under a new approach where "new, compelling evidence" would be required.

But the Overseas Operations Bill would go further for other veterans, such as those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, by proposing a five-year limit on criminal prosecutions.

Ministers have already been forced into a climbdown over the scope of a proposed "presumption against prosecution" after this time frame.

Human rights groups, former military commanders and lawyers had criticised plans in the original version of the bill for this to include torture, genocide and crimes against humanity.

On Tuesday, the government announced it would accept demands from the House of Lords for the these offences to be excluded from legal safeguards.

It tabled an amendment on the issue designed to replace one from Labour's Lord Roberts backed by peers earlier this month - which MPs then approved on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of the vote, Mr Docherty told MPs that "not explicitly excluding these offences from the bill is clearly an omission that must be rectified".

He said the government had agreed to change the bill after listening to the "very real concerns" from MPs and peers that the bill would damage the reputation of the UK government and the armed forces internationally.