Mercer declares ‘It is right we are ending the witch hunt of Northern Ireland veterans’

We can be “proud” of ending the witch hunt of Northern Ireland veterans despite threats of a legal challenge, Johnny Mercer has declared.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has warned that Ireland is willing to take action against the Government’s “entirely wrong” legacy Bill.

But Mr Mercer, the Veterans’ minister, said Britain must protect those who fought “for our way of life” and end “vexatious claims”.

The legislation will end Troubles-era court cases and inquests and give a conditional amnesty to those accused of killings and other Troubles-related crimes.

It will establish the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery to take over legacy cases.

Mr Mercer told the Daily Express: “We have made a commitment to our veterans in Northern Ireland and we are going to see it through.”

He said the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill will get Royal Assent in September after delays in the Lords.

Asked about its critics he said: “There will of course be those who are unhappy – this is the really tough side of politics. This is all about doing the right thing and doing the responsible thing. We should be proud of it and we should see it through because we owe it to those who protect our way of life.”

Mr Mercer admitted it had been a “long, painful process” but was a moment the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and our veterans “can be extremely proud of.”

He added: “No one has tackled this for 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement.”

He said it “will provide a degree of protection from vexatious claims whilst allowing families to seek the truth and justice they deserve”.

In the Dail, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said if the Bill becomes law it would “definitively shut the door on families’ efforts to achieve truth and justice through the courts, and it will of course give an amnesty to those responsible”.

The Taoiseach responded: “We think it’s entirely the wrong approach to give former Army servicemen, former IRA and paramilitary terrorists immunity from prosecution. We owe it to the victims to make sure that we all do everything we can to make sure that any information that can be given to the police is given to the police and that those people are prosecuted if at all possible.”

Army veteran David Jonathan Holden was convicted of manslaughter last year over the shooting of Aidan McAnespie at a checkpoint in 1988.

Life Guard veteran Dennis Hutchings died in 2021 aged 80 while being tried in Belfast over the 1974 shooting of John Pat Cunningham following a six-year legal ordeal.