Rayleigh and Wickford MP and former Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois, spoke up for Service Veterans at Prime Minister’s questions today when he asked the Prime Minister to help prevent those who served in Northern Ireland from being prosecuted for their service.
Mark expressed his support for fellow Tory Richard Beynon’s “Armed Forces Statute of Limitations Bill”, which would create a ten year limit, beyond which military personnel would not be liable for their actions when on active service.
Mark asked the Prime Minister if she could take an interest in the Bill and ensure that Northern Ireland veterans are not subjected to a politically motivate witch hunt, in order to pander to Sinn Fein.
The Prime Minister agreed with Mark that it was important to ensure that any further legacy investigations are conducted in a fair and proportional way and that we should not forget those who were killed at the hands of terrorists in Northern Ireland.
Commenting on his question to the Prime Minster today, Mark said:
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to raise my concerns with the Prime Minister that those who served upholding the rule of law in Northern Ireland, many of whom are now past retirement, should not be hounded by the authorities just to keep Sinn Fein happy. Our troops sought to uphold the rule of law in incredibly difficult circumstances and they deserve our support, which the “Armed Forces Statute of Limitations Bill” would help to provide”