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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Dan Sabbagh

Benn says ‘no choice’ but to repeal NI legacy act as veterans stage protest

Bikers wearing berets, sunglasses and insignia on their waistcoasts take a photo against the Cenotaph with a banner that reads ‘I stand with all British soldiers facing historic prosecution Rolling Thunder UK’
Military veterans of the Troubles argue their rules of engagement are being ‘changed in retrospect’. Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

Hilary Benn has said that “only one soldier” has been convicted over a Troubles-related death since 1998 as he sought to justify Labour plans to repeal the Northern Ireland Legacy and Reconciliation Act.

The Northern Ireland secretary, speaking at a debate in Westminster Hall, argued that of the 250,000 British military veterans who had served in the country, “the number being prosecuted for offences has been very, very small”.

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