"Troubles veterans face the sword of Damocles hanging over them...'

THE Government has been urged not to betray veterans, with those who served in Northern Ireland facing "two-tier" justice.

- Conor Wilson

Labour has vowed to replace the Legacy Act set up by the Tories in 2023 to protect veterans from vexatious prosecutions by shutting down historical inquests and preventing new civil claims from being lodged.

Critics of the law claim it "denies justice to the families and victims of the Troubles".

But Tory MP Sir David Davis told Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn that changes would leave ex-service personnel looking over their shoulders in their later years.

He said: "Some 722 of our soldiers were killed by paramilitary murderers during the Troubles, not one of those deaths will be revisited. Because of the current circumstances however, hundreds of brave men who served their country with honour, patriotism and integrity face a sword of Damocles hanging over them." Sir David added: "I can think of no better example of two-tier justice." A petition calling on ministers to keep the act, formally known as the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act, has topped the 100,000 signatures required for it to be debated in Parliament as campaigners seek support for those who risked their lives to stop the violence.

Petition creator Ian Liles, a retired brigadier, said ex-soldiers were being hounded over split-second decisions they made half a century ago. He added: "All these cases were investigated at the time; they had coroners' inquests and police investigations and there was no case to answer.