Army chiefs issue warning to Keir Starmer over ‘biggest threat’ | UK | News
The effectiveness of British forces is being undermined by “legal rules”, a group of former military chiefs have warned. Nine four-star generals or equivalents have penned an open letter calling on Sir Keir Starmer and Attorney-General Lord Hermer to introduce a new legal framework to better protect their troops.
Those who warn that service personnel’s confidence in the legal system is eroding, claiming that Special Forces members are already leaving as a result. Retired senior military officers argued that “civil law”, which they defined as “the use of legal processes for political or ideological struggles”, was a “direct threat to national security”. They wrote: “Every deployed member of the British armed forces today must consider not only the enemy in front but also the advocate behind.
“Fear that legal actions may later be considered illegal will paralyze decision-making, distort the rules of engagement and discourage initiative.
“We will lose our fighting edge just when it is needed most.
“And make no mistake, our closest allies will be watching uneasily while our enemies will be wringing their hands.”
Open letter published Times To coincide with Memorial Day.
In the letter, the former chiefs expressed concern about the Government’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill and the “legal activism” behind it.
“This law is a direct threat to national security,” they wrote.
The letter adds: “By providing the same protections to those who enforce the law and those who break the law, the bill becomes morally inconsistent.
“It treats those who defend peace and those who bomb and kill for political purposes as equal actors in a common tragedy.”
The bill aims to replace the controversial Inheritance Bill, which the last Conservative government designed to protect Northern Ireland veterans from fraudulent claims.
Veterans who spoke to the Express have previously expressed concerns about the plans, with one saying it would give veterans fewer rights than the “Salem witches”.
In the letter, retired senior officers warn that retention and morale will be negatively affected if personnel believe that actions that were lawful at the time of their deployment will later be re-evaluated “with an incorrect view of the past”.
They called on the Prime Minister and Lord Hermer to recognize that the “ever-expanding interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights” is being used as a means to this end.
They called for a legal framework that does not apply the ECHR and the Human Rights Act to the actions of soldiers during active service.
Signatories of the letter include three former commanders of the British Army – Sir Peter Wall, Sir Patrick Sanders and Sir Mark Carleton-Smith – and Sir Andrew Pulford, the former chief of the Royal Air Force.
A Government spokesman said: “We promised to put in place the necessary protections for our veterans who served honorably in Northern Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill delivers on that commitment.
“After the last government’s false promises, we are introducing six real, enforceable protections for veterans that the failed Legacy Act never did.
“We will not allow the process to turn into a punishment for our veterans, as it has many times before.
“These robust safeguards will ensure that the rights of those who honorably serve their nation are protected, while providing victims with a fair and transparent response that is consistent with human rights.”
The government has no plans to change the UK’s domestic human rights framework.
