UK
Sinn Féin raises concerns with Starmer’s legacy legislation
From Sinn Féin
A Sinn Féin delegation, led by John Finucane MP, met on Thursday with British Secretary of State Hilary Benn to discuss the legacy framework. Speaking after the meeting, the North Belfast MP said he had raised a series of serious concerns with Hilary Benn following the publication of legislation in the British House of Commons yesterday.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Finucane said, “With the publication of this legislation, the real work now is to scrutinise the detail and ensure it can command the confidence of victims and families. At today’s meeting, we pressed the British Secretary of State on our initial concerns. The inclusion of a clause to change the law and block compensation for former internees is an act of bad faith and political cynicism. That approach was ruled unlawful in 2020, yet the British government now proposes to circumvent both that ruling and existing legislation.
“We are equally alarmed by the proposed ‘national security’ veto, which would place the release of information to families at the discretion of a British Secretary of State. The current Secretary of State is already challenging a coroner’s right to provide a gist in the Supreme Court; if that is his stance now, what will it be with a statutory veto? We also made clear that the public commentary around protections for former British combatants is being watched closely. There can be no side deals for veterans. Everyone must be equal before the law. On inquests, the bar for re-establishment appears so high that few will be reopened, with cases instead pushed into the new Legacy Commission. That is despite inquests being a tried and tested route to establishing truth.
“The family of Sean Brown are still without answers 29 years after his murder. That is a shameful indictment of British justice, and this agreement makes no reference to it. A public inquiry should be established without delay, as recommended by five High Court judges, and the British government should end its legal challenges against Bridie Brown and her family.
“There is also a lack of clarity around the resourcing and implementation of these legacy mechanisms. We have asked for concrete detail to be provided. As it stands, this process appears designed to protect the interests of the British state rather than deliver for families. Sinn Féin will continue to engage with both governments and to work closely with victims and families, whose voices must be paramount. Any process must earn — and keep — their confidence.”
Former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, commenting on the British government’s proposed legacy legislation and its denial of the right of internees to compensation for wrongful imprisonment, said: “I have instructed my legal team that it is my intention to pursue legal action against Keir Starmer’s decision to retrospectively change a law which a Conservative government broke over 50 years ago. At the same time, the British are introducing new legislation to protect British soldiers and RUC officers from facing the legal consequences of their criminal actions.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Mr. Adams said: “In 2020, the British Supreme Court determined that I was wrongfully interned for a period in the 1970s. The decision by the Court was explicit. Interim Custody Orders not authorised and approved by the Secretary of State were illegal. It is believed that upwards of 400 other internees are similarly affected. The British government, which knew it was in the wrong at that time, knowingly broke its own law.
“In January, Keir Starmer made it clear that he would look at ‘every conceivable way’ to ensure that I and others impacted by this did not receive compensation. Yesterday, the British government produced legislation which upholds the quashing of the convictions but denies compensation. This is clearly discriminatory. Once again, the British state changes the rules to protect its security personnel while denying others equality of treatment. That an Irish government would collude in this is disgraceful.
“The British military was involved in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. A Committee of the Oireachtas on Justice concluded in 2005 that: ‘We are dealing with acts of international terrorism that were colluded in by the British security forces’. The Irish government has now signed up to new laws that will protect those British soldiers involved in these and other attacks in the South and in the North. The British want to close the door on their past actions. Like many others, I will be speaking to my legal team in the next few days to examine what options here and within Europe are open to us.”
- This article was originally published in Sinn Féin’s email bulletin on 17/10/2025.
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