I was delighted to join the Sleaford Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Club on Saturday. We discussed their concerns about the investigations into incidents in Northern Ireland, and what the Government is doing to help.
I will always salute the heroism and bravery of the soldiers and police officers who fought and died to protect the people of Northern Ireland, and to uphold democracy and the rule of law. It is only due to the courageous efforts of our security forces that we have the relative peace and stability that Northern Ireland enjoys today. No member of our armed forces wants to be above the law, but it is important that cases are not reviewed over and over with no new evidence, years after the events in question.
I am glad that the Government will offer full legal and pastoral support to the individual ‘Soldier F’ affected by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland's recent decision. This includes funding all his legal costs and providing welfare support.
The MoD is working across Government to drive through a new package of safeguards to ensure our armed forces are not unfairly treated, and recognises that the system to investigate the past needs to change to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles and other conflict area operations, and for our Armed Forces and police officers. I will continue to keep a close eye on progress, and I will push for an outcome that treats our brave police and armed forces personnel fairly.
