LAST UPDATE | 17 Jul
KING CHARLES III has confirmed the new Labour government in the UK intends to repeal the controversial Legacy Act, which offers a limited form of immunity for perpetrators of Troubles crimes.
Charles made the confirmation as he delivered the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on the first day of a new session. It was one of 40 pieces of proposed legislation announced today.
The new Labour government intends to replace the Act with new legislation that changes the sections most vehemently opposed by victims and survivors and those found deficient by Northern Ireland’s High Court.
The King’s Speech marks the beginning of a new parliamentary year, or session, and it is an opportunity for the government – particularly a new government – to set out its legislative agenda for the coming months.
New Prime Minister Keir Starmer had pledged to repeal the legislation, which is opposed by all the major political parties in Northern Ireland.
Speaking from the Sovereign’s Throne in the House of Lords, clad in royal robes and the Imperial State Crown, the British monarch said that the government would “begin the process of repealing and replacing” the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act.
Typically, within this King’s Speech the government will set out bills that it intends to introduce to parliament in the forthcoming session, as well as other policy priorities that do not need legislation.
Speaking ahead of the address, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Labour will “take the brakes off Britain” when it unveiled its first King’s Speech today.
“For too long people have been held back, their paths determined by where they came from, not their talents and hard work,” Starmer said.
“I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country. It is the only way our country can progress, and my government is focused on supporting that aspiration.”
At the last changing of power in 2010, the Conservative government offered 22 Bills to the British public at the state opening of parliament.
The Imperial State Crown, the UK government tells us, has 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and four rubies.
Responding to the announcement that the Legacy Act would be repealed, Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International UK’s Northern Ireland deputy director, said:
“Today is an important step toward overturning an atrocious attack on rights.
“The new Government’s commitment to repeal and replace the Troubles Act is welcome. Repealing and replacing the Troubles Act is necessary to right a historic wrong. The UK Government must show a complete change in approach to the last government; listen to victims and prioritise their rights.
“There must be no delay in getting the wheels of justice turning. We want to see Stormont House Agreement plus legislated for and an urgent reinstatement of judicial processes, such as inquests, for all who need them.
“Victims deserve longed for answers and independent legacy mechanisms. Providing these will contribute to healing and building a just society.”
In all, the chunky package features 40 pieces of proposed legislation. Here are some of the most notable ones:
Football Governance Bill
This includes establishing an independent football regulator to address clubs’ financial sustainability and approve stadium sales or relocation; requiring clubs to get fan approval for changes to shirt colours; and preventing clubs from joining break-away leagues.
Crime and Policing Bill
Measures include strengthening neighbourhood policing; cracking down on antisocial behaviour with new “respect orders” for persistent adult offenders; introducing stronger measures against shoplifting; banning ninja swords and lethal knives; and ensuring an improved police response to violence against women and girls and spiking.
Holocaust Memorial Bill
This will enable the Government to build a planned Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre next to the Houses of Parliament.
House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
This will take a first step to modernising the upper house of Parliament by removing the right of the almost 100 remaining hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.
Hereditary peers have automatic membership in the House of Lords because they hold titles such as Duke, Earl, Viscount or Baron. They have the same amount of power as other members of the House. Most of them were removed from the House in 1999.
Hillsborough Law
This will introduce a “legal duty of candour” for public servants in an effort to tackle the “defensive culture” highlighted in the Hillsborough and Infected Blood inquiries.
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
This reintroduces former prime minister Rishi Sunak’s proposed smoking ban, gradually lifting the age at which people can buy cigarettes, and it will impose limits on selling and marketing vapes.
Draft Conversion Practices Bill
This aims to ban practices that aim to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity by creating new offences to target acts not covered by existing law.
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
This gives the new UK Border Security Command powers to crack down on criminal gangs, introduces stronger penalties for organised “immigration crime” and modernises the asylum system to clear a backlog of claims.
Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords will now debate the contents of the hefty speech for a number of days before the speech is voted on.
- With reporting by Press Association and David Mac Redmond
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