Jeremy Clarkson, 65, has let loose against the government’s plan to repeal the Northern Ireland Legacy Act amid fears it could spark a “witch-hunt” against Troubles veterans.
Over 170,000 people have signed a petition opposing the government’s proposals to remove legal protections for veterans who served during Operation Banner between 1969 and 2007.
Several prominent figures, including David Johnstone and Sir David Davis, have denounced Labour’s proposal to abolish legislation shielding Troubles veterans from legal action, calling it morally wrong and discriminatory.
And now, Clarkson has followed suit, ripping into the proposals and the “army of lefties” who’ll be “going after British soldiers”.
“There’s a lot to be depressed about at the moment, but I think the thing that’s getting me down most of all is the plan to investigate former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland to see if they shot someone that perhaps they shouldn’t,” Clarkson began.
The former Top Gear star went on to agonise over the fact there would be “no investigation into the yobboes who were throwing petrol bombs at them or blowing up buildings in the UK”, before hitting out: “The British government is only interested in chasing British soldiers.
“We’re told by Starmer’s Stasi army of human rights lawyers that the chance of a conviction is very small. But very small isn’t the same thing as ‘impossible’, is it?
“So imagine. You’re a former soldier. You’ve now retired and are spending your old age tending to your roses and reflecting on a life well led.
“A life where you were prepared to sacrifice yourself for the good of the country and the people in it.
“And now you’ve been told that a secret army of lefties is going to be looking into your activities from when you were in your twenties and that if anything untoward comes to light, you’ll have to go to prison.
“It sickens me,” the former Grand Tour host concluded in his column for The Sun.
He’s far from alone, as the aforementioned Davis was one critic who warned that allowing inquests to restart would set a dangerous precedent, saying: “Getting this right is not just a matter of historical justice.
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“The legal witch-hunt won’t end in Northern Ireland. It’ll cast a shadow over every future conflict that our armed forces engage in, and undermine their abilities to defend us.”
Labour MP Louise Jones countered, saying the “Legacy Act was found to be unlawful”, before adding: “It gives immunity to terrorists, and it denies justice to the families of the 200 service personnel that were murdered by terrorists during the Troubles.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn also defended the government’s position, pointing to statistics from the Centre for Military Justice showing only one British soldier has been convicted since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
“There are more than 200 families of UK military personnel who are still searching for answers 30, 40, 50 years ago about the murder of their loved ones,” Benn told MPs.
He revealed that the Police Service of Northern Ireland had confirmed 202 live investigations into Troubles-related killings of armed forces members and 23 into killings of veterans.
“Each and every one of those investigations was forced to close by the Legacy Act, and we will bring forward legislation to deal with that,” he said.
However, Retired SAS commanders wrote in an open letter ahead of the debate that took place this week: “The harsh reality is that these new hearings are an exercise in futility.
“The terrorists responsible for killing our colleagues have already been granted ‘letters of comfort’ – effectively immunity from prosecution.
“So while these investigations might reopen painful chapters for veterans’ families, they cannot deliver any meaningful justice.
“The terrorists walk free while we debate the merits of investigating decades-old cases.”
Benn acknowledged that “legacy is hard” and represents “the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement”.
He promised the government would “fix the mess we inherited from the previous government” whilst protecting veterans.
