Troubles bill risks helping IRA goals, says ex-minister Carns

The government's Troubles legacy legislation risks helping the IRA achieve its political goals, former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns has said.

He made the remarks as he spoke in the House of Commons on Tuesday about his reasons for quitting the Labour government last week.

The now backbench MP warned the plans create a "hierarchy of truth" and "never-ending legal wranglings" that would cost hundreds of millions of pounds.

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has said its bill is a "vital step in righting the wrongs of the flawed Legacy Act" passed by the previous Conservative government, which "left veterans exposed to a legal wild west".

Carns followed Defence Secretary John Healey in quitting the government last Thursday in a dispute with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over funding for the military.

In his resignation letter, Carns also cited his opposition to the Troubles bill as one of his reasons for quitting the government.

Speaking on Tuesday, he told MPs he "could no longer ignore the continued failure to address the treatment of our veterans in Northern Ireland".

He described it as a "difficult issue" but said that "too many veterans have carried uncertainty for too long while others have benefited from political accommodations".