Over the last few days, I have seen many social media posts attacking the Labour government for repealing the Northern Ireland Legacy Act.

The main accusation is that the government was somehow failing our veterans. This is plainly not true and it’s a shame that opposition parties have once again broken the traditional Parliamentary consensus on Northern Ireland. But let me explain why the government simply had to repeal the legislation: put simply, the legislation that the Conservatives passed was bad legislation and did not stand up in court. It gave veterans a false sense of security and did not protect them. So, we’re replacing it with legislation that legally protects veterans, as well as ensuring closure for the 256 Forces families whose loved ones were killed by terrorists.

Back in November, I met a group of Cornwall-based Special Forces veterans along with the Veterans Minister, Alistair Carns MP. Carns is a former Royal Marine and won the military cross while serving in Afghanistan. There was an immediate mutual respect between the Special Forces veterans and the ex-Marine Minister. The veterans wanted to raise their concerns. Minister Carns explained that the Government will transform support for veterans and recognise their invaluable contribution across the country.

We are putting in place six key protections for our brave veterans: 1. Protection from repeated investigations – a new Commission will be under a requirement to not duplicate the work of any previous investigations unless there are compelling reasons to do so.

2. Protection from cold calling – veterans will be protected from cold calling through a new protocol, ensuring they are only ever contacted with the support of the Ministry of Defence.

3. Protection in old age – measures which require the Commission and coroners to consider the health and wellbeing of potential witnesses at all times – including whether it would be inappropriate for them to give evidence at all.

4. A right to stay at home – changing the law to ensure that no Northern Ireland veteran is forced to travel to Northern Ireland to give evidence to the Commission or to an inquest.

5. A right to anonymity – ensuring veterans can seek anonymity when giving evidence and removing the need for veterans to give unnecessary evidence on historical context and general operational details, so that veterans are not forced to recount established facts.

6. A right for Veterans’ voices to be heard – there will be a statutory advisory group that will provide an opportunity for the voices of victims and survivors of the Troubles to be heard, including those from a service background, and the Commission will be required to take account of wider circumstances surrounding incidents being investigated.

Having explained these changes the veterans seemed to accept that the Minister is a man who will not let them down. He knows the service they have given and, in his strong response to the quite appalling comments from President Trump, he has proven that he is prepared to take on anyone, in any position of power, in order to protect the reputations of our brave veterans.