Nigel Farage has announced that a Reform UK government would pardon military veterans convicted for their roles during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The party leader said he would end current prosecutions of British veterans through legislation or the royal prerogative of mercy, and prevent future legal action, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.
“We are proud to be launching our veterans wing. We will fight the injustice being done to our former servicemen and stand up for their rights,” Farage told the newspaper. A Reform policy document seen by The Daily Telegraph states that the party would “legislate for a statutory bar to end current and prohibit future proceedings against British veterans for historical conduct”.
The document adds: “This will draw a line under a situation where terrorists have faced no consequences for their heinous actions whilst veterans have been unfairly hounded. British forces were responsible for a small proportion of deaths during the Conflict in Ireland from 1969-1993 (approximately 11 per cent), and yet the vast majority of the 30 potential inquests into Troubles related killings and around 600 civil cases in the pipeline involve the actions of lawfully deployed British security forces.”
The pledge comes after MPs voted earlier this month on a Government remedial order to remove protections giving immunity from prosecution to anyone accused of crimes during the Troubles if they provide information to a truth recovery body. This was part of the previous Conservative government’s Legacy Act, approved in 2023, but the High Court in Belfast ruled parts of the Act were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights in 2024.
The Reform document also notes the pledge would match “what was given to the IRA under [former Labour Prime Minister Tony] Blair; they were released from prison, pardoned or given comfort letters, and even allowed to engage in front-line politics”. Shadow armed forces minister Mark Francois said the Conservatives have been “defending those who defended us” for “years”, and criticised Farage and Robert Jenrick for not voting on the recent remedial order.
