Colum Eastwood says legacy proposals will shut down investigations of British soldiers

The Foyle MP said that the suggestion that some cases would be closed for good, with no opportunity for further investigation is wrong and will cause immense hurt.

He said: “The British Government’s legacy proposals will cause an immense amount of hurt to victims and survivors and to families who have lost loved ones.

"This is not about dealing with the past ethically, it is not about delivering truth, justice and reconciliation. This is about shutting down justice and shielding former soldiers from fulsome investigation indefinitely."

Mr. Eastwood said the plans were in clear breach of the Stormont House Agreement.

“These proposals also represent a unilateral violation of the international treaty between the British and Irish Governments signed after the Stormont House Agreement. It is an act of spectacular bad faith for the Secretary of State to seek to undermine previous agreements in the absence of clear consensus from all parties.

“The measures announced today are designed to create a separate class of cases. Where one group receives special treatment because of the uniform they wore. That is unacceptable to us. Investigative paths must be followed when evidence is available

“The SDLP will robustly resist these proposals.”