Draft legislation to deal with the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles has been passed by the House of Commons.
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant said veterans and those who lost loved ones in the decades of conflict “deserve answers”.
MPs voted 330 to 178, majority 152, in favour of the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill at the third reading on Tuesday. It will now be sent to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
The draft law was first introduced to Parliament last year and is set to overhaul the previous Conservative government’s Legacy Act, with a reformed Legacy Commission.
Sir Chris appeared emotional in the Commons on Tuesday evening as he said: “This Bill isn’t about one group or another. It’s not about special favours for one group or another.
“It’s about honesty, candour, the pursuit of justice, and most importantly, truth. Because in the end, it’s only truth that can really set us free.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant appeared emotional in the Commons on Tuesday evening (PA)
PA Wire
He had earlier said: “When people say to me that people need to move on in Northern Ireland, my answer is no.
“No one has moved on more than the victims and survivors of the Troubles. They’re not living in the past, they’re living with the past.
“And if it’s not resolved, if people don’t get answers, that trauma will pass on to the next generation.”
Sir Chris continued: “Veterans and those armed forces families who lost loved ones in the conflict deserve answers.
“It is in the interests of the whole armed forces community affected by the Troubles that steady progress is made to ensure this legislation’s provisions are effective.”
At committee stage, he rejected an accusation from Traditional Unionist Voice MP Jim Allister (North Antrim) the Bill had been drafted to “spare the sensitivities of the Republic of Ireland”.
Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Alex Burghart (Ben Whitley/PA)
PA Archive
Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Alex Burghart also argued the Irish legislation will allow, but not compel, the Irish state to cooperate with the Legacy Commission.
Sir Chris said the two governments plan to pass their own legislation to implement the agreement, which will “come into force in lockstep”.
The Irish authorities have promised the fullest possible co-operation with UK investigations.
More than 3,500 people were killed in The Troubles from the late 1960s until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, in sectarian conflict largely centred on whether Northern Ireland should remain in the UK or become part of a united Ireland.
More than 150 amendments were proposed by the Government last week, prompting concerns over the ability of MPs to adequately scrutinise the draft legislation over two days.
This included the UK’s Attorney General being given the responsibility of deciding whether serious prosecutions related to the Troubles should go ahead.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson (Liam McBurney/PA)
PA Wire
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson claimed the involvement of the Attorney General would not give more protections for veterans, while Labour’s Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough and Thornaby East) urged the Government to reconsider the change.
Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood (Lagan Valley) also argued the situation in Northern Ireland “is not black and white, it is shades of grey”, as she criticised the new role of the Attorney General.
Sir Chris told MPs: “I just want to make it absolutely clear that the Attorney General is also the Advocate General for Northern Ireland. We are not seeking to undermine in any sense at all the prosecuting authorities in Northern Ireland or in Great Britain.
“It would be completely inappropriate for the Attorney General to bear in mind at all in making this prosecutorial decision, any political considerations.
“I think that by doing this we will be providing a greater sense of reassurance that there is going to be consistency across the piece.”
On Monday, concerns were raised over the exclusion of the Omagh bombing from the new Legacy Commission’s jurisdiction.
Residents of Omagh lay flowers near the scene of the bomb blast in 1998 (PA)
PA Archive
The Bill states the Commission will only look at events and conduct between January 1, 1966 and April 10, 1998 – when the Good Friday Agreement was signed.
But the republican car bombing, which killed 29 people, including a woman who was pregnant with twins, took place months after the peace agreement on August 15, 1998.
MPs voted to reject a bid by the DUP’s Mr Robinson to extend the cut-off to August 30 1998.
There is an ongoing inquiry into the Omagh bombing, with a memorandum of understanding signed in April 2025 to secure the co-operation of the Irish government.
In Westminster, pressure was also put on ministers to allow victims of sexual violence during the Troubles to request an investigation.
Sir Chris pledged to “get that right in the House of Lords”, after Ulster Unionist Party MP Robin Swann (South Antrim) argued victims should not “become an overlooked part of the history of the Troubles”.
Elsewhere, Labour former defence minister Al Carns said he was “deeply concerned” by the Bill arguing it does not protect veterans as it should.
Mr Carns, who served in Northern Ireland in 2003, claimed the law will allow lawyers to “rewrite history” and to “paint the state as the aggressor”.
Burnt out vehicles litter the streets of the Falls Road area in Belfast during the Troubles (PA)
PA Archive
Sir Chris said: “The goal of this legislation is to create a human rights-compliant legacy process, which all communities, including veterans and former police officers, can have absolute confidence in.”
He argued the Government’s amendments would “ensure our veterans are treated fairly”, with new clause 32 recognising the operational context in which veterans served, and the circumstances in which they needed to make decisions in deploying the use of force so as to prevent harm.
Under the Bill, there are three hurdles which must be cleared before a veteran is asked to act as a witness, Sir Chris said.
These are that new evidence must materially change the investigation, the Commission must undertake disclosure from state authorities, and the Commission must consider whether compelling new evidence is known or reasonably expected to exist.
On Tuesday evening, Sir Chris also confirmed the so-called on-the-run letters will not grant immunity for any crimes.
The scheme saw 200 people told they were not wanted for paramilitary crimes committed before the Belfast Agreement in 1998.
He said new clause 51 would make clear in the Bill these letters “cannot be used to prevent or frustrate a prosecution”.