Kemi Badenoch has apologised after her social media accounts posted a video using footage from Bloody Sunday to criticise Labour's legacy proposals for Northern Ireland. The Conservative leader said she did not sign off on the clip, which was distributed by “very young people” who did not recognise the footage.
The video, posted on Tuesday, claimed Labour's proposed changes would “drag” British Troubles veterans back to court. It was removed after the party realised the error. Badenoch apologised during a visit to a hairdresser in south-east London, stating the video was intended to support veterans but the footage was mistakenly included.
Colum Eastwood, the SDLP MP for Foyle, said he was “shocked” to see Badenoch “trumpeting the service of British soldiers in Northern Ireland using footage from Bloody Sunday”. Bloody Sunday, on 30 January 1972, saw British soldiers shoot 26 unarmed civil rights demonstrators in Derry, killing 13; a 14th man died later.
Labour's Northern Ireland Troubles bill aims to replace a law introduced by the previous Conservative government, which included a clause enabling veterans to avoid prosecution if they provided information. That law was ruled unlawful in 2024. Labour also seeks to lift a ban on future inquests and civil actions.
Badenoch's apology comes amid ongoing sensitivity around Bloody Sunday. The only soldier charged with murder in relation to the deaths, known as Soldier F, was acquitted last year. A 2010 inquiry led to then-Prime Minister David Cameron apologising, calling the shootings “unjustified and unjustifiable”.
