‘Honour vow to scrap the Legacy Bill’

Richard Sullivan, July 7th, 2024  Sunday World

A VICTIMS’ campaigner has warned new Secretary of State Hilary Benn he expects Labour to honour the commitment to scrap to the Tory Legacy Bill.

As expected, the Labour veteran has been appointed his party’s first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 2010. It is understood he will spend the coming says contacting party leaders here.

While investment in public services and filling the hole in the country’s finances are top of the agenda, victims’ groups say they will hold the Secretary of State’s feet to the fire when it comes to Legacy Bill.

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Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Benn have been vocal in their commitment and the pledge was part of their manifesto.

“Our new SoS for NI will be judged by victims and their families on how quickly he scraps the Legacy Bill,” said Raymond McCord of the Truth and Justice Movement yesterday.

He said victims had been let down by so many broken promises in the past.

“Will he be just another SoS who ignores the wishes of the victims of the Troubles?

“Hilary Benn will be meeting our political parties who have all rejected the Legacy Bill, however it’s the victims’ voices and opinions he must recognise as the most important voices of opposition to t must recognise as the most important voices of opposition to the Legacy Bill.

“We don’t want political back room deals over the Bill. We want it scrapped,” he said of the controversial Bill, which came into force in May.