Cornwall Council backs veterans’ call for action over Legacy Act repeal

Cross-party motion urges ministers to prioritise veterans’ health and wellbeing and prevent prosecutions of those who served in Northern Ireland during Operation Banner.

Cornwall Council has voted — 65 for, 2 against, and 11 abstentions — to write to the Secretary of State for Defence, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the Minister for Veterans and People, raising concerns about the Government’s repeal of the Legacy Act and the impact on former service personnel.

The council is urging ministers to address veterans’ health and wellbeing, and to ensure that no Northern Ireland veterans are prosecuted for “properly doing their duty” while combating terrorism during Operation Banner (1969–2007).

The motion was proposed by Councillor Martyn Alvey and seconded by Councillor Paul Cador. It requests the council leader write to ministers “to address the health and well-being concerns expressed by veterans” and to press for protections so that “no Northern Ireland Veterans are prosecuted for doing their duty”.

During the debate, Alvey warned of what he described as “lawfare” — “the strategic use of legal proceedings to intimidate or hinder an opponent” — and said the issue risked weakening “the moral foundations and operational effectiveness of the forces on which this nation depends”.

“To be clear, those who serve in Northern Ireland do not seek immunity; they simply seek fairness,” he told councillors. “Today, every deployed member of the British Armed Forces must not only consider the enemy in front, but the lawyer behind.”

Alvey said Cornwall has “over 30,000 residents that have previously served in the armed forces” — “nearly double the UK average” by proportion — and claimed he had been contacted by Northern Ireland veterans living in the county who were “fearful” of renewed legal exposure decades after service.

Seconding the motion, Cador said Cornwall was “proud of its Armed Forces community” and pointed to practical local support through veteran hubs and charities. But he said “recent developments” around replacement legacy legislation had “caused anxiety amongst veterans”, adding: “This isn’t about politics. It’s about duty of care, fairness and respect.”

Other councillors echoed the tone. Richard Barker described the situation as “vexatious and politically motivated” and warned it could “erode the trust between ourselves and those who protect us”. Connor Donnithorne, who said he had not served, told the chamber he had spoken to veterans in his division and said they were “speaking with a very clear united voice” that the draft bill would lead to “significant personal stress and anxiety”.

The motion was prompted by a small group of veterans lobbying for support in the region.

John Larke, part of that group, said. “Making this happen was relatively easy. What was clear from the debate was that Councillors were talking with veterans in their constituencies.”

Larke said the group has spent recent months approaching local MPs and councillors to present veterans’ concerns — and that the route in Cornwall was straightforward once they identified the council’s Armed Forces Member Champion, a role commonly found in county and city councils under the Armed Forces Act 2021.

“In the Cornwall Council case, I identified the Councillor (ex-RAF) [and] arranged to see him,” Larke said. “He was very positive. I provided him with two pages of background and a motion based on the original parliamentary petition. He went and found cross-party support, and the result you can see.”

Larke added: “This is easily replicable across the nation,” adding that he intends to write up the Cornwall effort as a case study, including a short note that others can give to their own council’s Armed Forces Member Champion.

Ahead of the vote, local outlet Cornwall Live highlighted the case of the late Dennis Hutchings, an 80-year-old veteran from Cornwall who died in Belfast in 2021 after contracting Covid-19 while in the city facing trial over a fatal shooting incident in County Tyrone in 1974. Speaking to the BBC before the trial, Hutchings said he felt ex-soldiers were being used as “cannon fodder” by politicians.

The debate, which took place at the Cornwall Council meeting on 25 November 2025, can be viewed here (Starting at 1hr 28m).

The Motion

Council requests the Leader write to the Secretary of State for Defence, the Secretary of State for Northern Island and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Veterans and People) asking them to address the health and wellbeing concerns expressed by veterans about the revision of the NI Legacy legislation to ensure that no Northern Ireland Veterans are prosecuted for doing their duty in combating terrorism as part of ‘Operation Banner’ (1969-2007).

Proposed by: Councillor Martyn Alvey and seconded by Councillor Paul Cador.

What Councillors said

Councillor Martyn Alvey

In 2022, a new word found its way into our dictionaries: lawfare. The strategic use of legal proceedings to intimidate or hinder an opponent. In bringing this motion, I’m asking the council to warn the government that the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill and the legal activism surrounding it risks weakening the moral foundations and operational effectiveness of the forces on which this nation depends.

The bill undermines the confidence of those who volunteer to serve this country at its request and under its authority and is a direct threat to national security. To be clear, those who serve in Northern Ireland do not seek immunity; they simply seek fairness. No member of the armed forces received a letter of comfort after the Good Friday Agreement.

What they relied upon was far stronger. The belief that if they acted within the law, and the proper orders and in good faith, the nation would stand by them.

Today, every deployed member of the British Armed Forces must not only consider the enemy in front, but the lawyer behind.

The fear that lawful actions may be judged unlawful will paralyse decision-making, distort rules of engagement and deter initiative.

Cornwall has over 30,000 residents that have previously served in the armed forces. At 6.3%, nearly double the UK average. Many have seen service in Northern Ireland, often in the front line, some in the special forces. I have been contacted by Northern Ireland veterans living in Cornwall because they are fearful of the lawfare currently being waged against them.

Individuals often now in their 70s and 80s now fear getting a knock on the door and being forced to stand trial. This happened very recently. The individual was acquitted but not before inflicting an unimaginable toll on both him and his family. This bill has reached its second reading last Tuesday and is now with the Lords.

However, veterans representative bodies continue to lobby the government to ensure that the legislation is based on the principle that no veteran should fear prosecution for properly doing their duty. However, the bill as it stands doesn’t go anywhere near far enough to protect our veterans from vexatious legal action in future. So to conclude, this is an important motion that gives this council an opportunity to put on record its support to veterans and to lobby the government to ensure that this new legislation is based on the principle that no veteran should fear prosecution for properly doing their duty during the troubles. Thank you Chair.

Councillor Paul Cador

Cornwall is proud of its Armed Forces community. As stated, with over 30,000 veterans, one of the highest proportions in the UK. Many here, settling in Cornwall, have served in Northern Ireland during Operation Banner. That includes me, I served two tours there. Cornwall Council has long been committed supporter of our service personnel. We are early adopters of the Armed Forces Covenant, and our Covenant Board continues to provide real practical help through veterans hubs and charities across the county.

However, recent developments regarding the replacement of the Northern Ireland legacy legislation has caused anxiety amongst veterans. Many fear being drawn into legal processes for actions taken decades ago while lawfully serving to protect the public. With most having investigations at the time, the incidents and also inquests.

In April 1998 Tony Blair signed a Good Friday agreement which gave the Irish terrorists a get-out-of-jail-free card with all terrorists being released. With this came the immunity from prosecution. British forces didn’t get nothing.

In 2021, a highly publicised case against Dennis Hutchins.

That was halted.

This was because Dennis was hounded to his death.

While government has acknowledged these concerns and set out proposals, veterans’ organisations have made clear that further reassurance is needed. This motion simply asks that we write to the relevant Secretaries of State to ensure that those who serve their country are not left in uncertainty or distress. This isn’t about politics. It’s about the duty of care, fairness and respect.

I ask colleagues to support this motion and stand with our veterans and families. Thank you.

Councillor Richard Barker

This is vexatious and politically motivated in its nature. From someone that spends time with ⁓ those from the armed forces, I think it’s really clear that it will erode the trust between ourselves and those who protect us and have protected us in Northern Ireland.

For interest, the bombing campaigns in the 80s were horrific and for those that can remember them, these soldiers were out there to protect us and as a result, I must consider supporting the motion that’s put forward today.

Councillor Connor Donnithorne

Having not served myself…there’s a slight nervousness about speaking and kind of voting on these issues, because you don’t have that in-depth personal experience. I know many in this chamber do have, but I just reflect on the many conversations. There [is] a big veteran community within my division and obviously spoke a lot and got experience and their insight from them before this motion…Those of us who haven’t served don’t know and have the experience and the detail that you do, but having reflected and spoken with the veteran community within my division, they are very much expecting me — and I’m very happy — to support this motion and I think it’s important for those of us who haven’t served and don’t have a service background to acknowledge that, and listen to those who have…I think they are speaking with a very clear united voice that the bill going through as drafted will lead to significant personal stress and anxiety and at a time where we should be thanking all of those who serve this great country.

Councillor Alvey summing up.

[T]his is a very complicated issue. I think what we hear in the chamber today must appreciate is that as far as those veterans organisations, those veterans are concerned, the bill as currently being presented is causing them a lot of stress and concern.

So, all we are asking today of you as councillors is to highlight that concern to the government, to those that are responsible for bringing forward the bill. I personally didn’t serve in Northern Ireland but many of my friends, many of my colleagues did.

Anyone who served in the armed forces at the time that I did will have been very, very aware of the dangers and issues around the IRA. You can look up Lester Careers Office IRA bomb on Google. That happened in my Careers Office.

I have a, or had a very dear army officer, female army officer friend who served undercover in Northern Ireland. She took her own life. I can’t overstate how important it is to veterans that this bill is looked at again and revised. I’ll say no more and look forward to the vote.