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.
asserted
law → introduce → Commission
Sir Chris appeared emotional in the Commons on Tuesday evening as he said: “This Bill isn’t about one group or another.
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Bill → appear → group
It’s not about special favours for one group or another.
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It → ’ → group
“It’s about honesty, candour, the pursuit of justice, and most importantly, truth.
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It → ’ → justice
Because in the end, it’s only truth that can really set us free.
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that → ’ → us
He had earlier said: “When people say to me that people need to move on in Northern Ireland, my answer is no.
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answer → say → Ireland
“No one has moved on more than the victims and survivors of the Troubles.
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one → move → Troubles
They’re not living in the past, they’re living with the past.
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they → live → past
“And if it’s not resolved, if people don’t get answers, that trauma will pass on to the next generation.”
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trauma → resolve → generation
Sir Chris continued: “Veterans and those armed forces families who lost loved ones in the conflict deserve answers.
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who → continue → answers
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“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.”
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provisions → read → Troubles
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”.
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Bill → reject → Ireland
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.
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legislation → argue → Commission
Sir Chris said the two governments plan to pass their own legislation to implement the agreement, which will “come into force in lockstep”.
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which → say → lockstep
The Irish authorities have promised the fullest possible co-operation with UK investigations.
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authorities → promise → investigations
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.
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.
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she → propose → 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.
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General → tell → Ireland
We are not seeking to undermine in any sense at all the prosecuting authorities in Northern Ireland or in Great Britain.
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We → seek → Britain
“It would be completely inappropriate for the Attorney General to bear in mind at all in making this prosecutorial decision, any political considerations.
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General → bear → 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.”
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we → think → piece
On Monday, concerns were raised over the exclusion of the Omagh bombing from the new Legacy Commission’s jurisdiction.
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concerns → raise → jurisdiction
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.
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Agreement → state → January
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.
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who → kill → August
MPs voted to reject a bid by the DUP’s Mr Robinson to extend the cut-off to August 30 1998.
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MPs → vote → August
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.
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memorandum → be → government
In Westminster, pressure was also put on ministers to allow victims of sexual violence during the Troubles to request an investigation.
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victims → put → 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”.
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victims → pledge → 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.
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it → say → veterans
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”.
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lawyers → serve → aggressor
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.”
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communities → say → confidence
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.
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they → argue → 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.
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Chris → be → witness
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.
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evidence → change → authorities
On Tuesday evening, Sir Chris also confirmed the so-called on-the-run letters will not grant immunity for any crimes.
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letters → confirm → crimes
The scheme saw 200 people told they were not wanted for paramilitary crimes committed before the Belfast Agreement in 1998.
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they → see → 1998
He said new clause 51 would make clear in the Bill these letters “cannot be used to prevent or frustrate a prosecution”.
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letters → say → prosecution
The Aporia
