Politics

British MPs told Troubles amnesty bill ‘not fit for purpose’

Former Irish ambassador Adrian O’Neill tells House of Commons that the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is likely to face legal challenge

Adrian O’Neill, the former British ambassador to Ireland: ‘My government’s position is that the bill as presented is not fit for purpose’

British government plans to grant legal immunity for crimes committed during the Troubles will “likely face legal challenge”, a former Irish ambassador wrote to members of the House of Commons in June.

Adrian O’Neill wrote to Simon Hoare, a British MP and chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in the House of Commons, before he ended his tenure this summer.

He was responding to a number of questions from Hoare seeking the views of ...