As many as 200 former members of the British security forces are under official investigation for alleged criminal actions during the Troubles, as a rift opens between the Northern Ireland Office and the Ministry of Defence over how to handle historical accusations.
At least three prosecutions against British soldiers are under way, including a former Parachute Regiment lance-corporal, known only as 'Soldier F', who is due to stand trial for murder and attempted murder over his role in the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings. The Ministry of Defence estimates that between 150 and 200 former soldiers and police are under investigation.
The figure emerges as the government faces pressure from Tory backbenchers and thousands of current and former service personnel who protested last week against prosecutions of troops. One veteran received a letter from his MP, Sir John Hayes, stating that prosecutions were driven by a 'cultural Marxist hatred of our national history' by the 'liberal establishment'. Hayes's language mirrors that of former minister Suella Braverman, who was criticised for using the term 'cultural Marxism', often associated with far-right conspiracy theories.
Evidence suggests a split between government departments over whether army veterans could be granted amnesty for historical offences. The Ministry of Defence is preparing a bill to impose a statute of limitations on prosecutions for alleged offences outside the UK dating back more than ten years, unless there are exceptional circumstances. However, the Northern Ireland Office has sought to reassure a Belfast-based campaign group that any such scheme would not cover Northern Ireland.
Paul O'Connor, director of the Pat Finucane Centre in Derry, which supports victims' families, said Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley told him she would not introduce any amnesty and that the MoD's plans were about Iraq and Afghanistan. A UK government spokesperson said: 'The system to investigate the past needs...'
