Former armed forces minister Al Carns has declared the government's Troubles' legacy bill "unfit for purpose," which is a bit like a chef saying the soup is cold - only with more parliamentary procedure and fewer kitchen utensils.
Carns cited his opposition to the bill as one of the reasons he quit the government on Thursday, because apparently nothing says "I care about veterans" like walking out the door. In his resignation letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, he explained he "worked to fix the bill from the inside" but it "remains unfit for purpose" and "risks failing the very veterans it claims to protect." So much for inside jobs.
A Northern Ireland Office (NIO) spokesperson fired back, calling the bill a "vital step in righting the wrongs of the flawed Legacy Act" which "left veterans exposed to a legal wild west." Because nothing says "vital step" like a bureaucratic shootout.
Criticising the government's approach, the former minister said the "instinct that serious problems can be managed rather than faced runs through the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill." He also revealed his proposed changes were rejected, adding: "I set out changes I believed were necessary and the lines which I could not in good conscience go beyond. Those lines have not been accepted." Apparently, his conscience drew a line, and the government drew a bigger one over it.
"I have run out of room to argue this case honourably from inside government," he said, which is politician-speak for "I've had it up to here."
He added: "A serving minister cannot ask fellow veterans to trust a process he no longer trusts himself. Men and women, I served with, those I buried friends alongside, people who did their duty under conditions most individuals in Westminster will never have to imagine." Because nothing builds trust like a minister who doesn't trust the process.
Carns also raised concerns about lack of government investment in the armed forces: "We ask soldiers to fight for this country. In return we owe them the kit to do the job and the loyalty to stand by them when it's done. We are failing on both." So that's two failures for the price of one.
His comments were welcomed by TUV leader Jim Allister, who said: "Al Carns exposed what many veterans in Northern Ireland have been saying for years." He added the former minister "had warned that the proposed Troubles Bill is creating a hierarchy of truth in Northern Ireland and he is absolutely right." Because apparently, some truths are more equal than others.
The Northern Ireland Office has been asked for a response to Carns' criticism. The 2023 Legacy Act, introduced by the previous Conservative government, offered conditional immunity for perpetrators of some Troubles' crimes in exchange for co-operation with a new body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). The Labour government has since introduced a new bill, with MPs already voting to repeal the conditional immunity provision. The new plan includes a legacy commission, a dedicated legacy unit within An Garda Síochána (Irish police), and a package of protections for veterans.
An NIO spokesperson added they have "listened closely to the concerns of Armed Forces associations" and will "shortly bring forward a substantial package of amendments to further bolster these protections." They also insisted: "Suggestions that veterans will be dragged through the courts are simply wrong. Our Armed Forces have always been bound by the rule of law, and those who served honourably and followed the rules have absolutely nothing to fear." Unless, of course, the rules change - but who's counting?