The Government “remains absolutely committed” to the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, which will continue its progress through Parliament as soon as possible, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Sir Chris Bryant, has announced.
Speaking following meetings with victims and survivors’ groups and veterans’ representatives, the Secretary of State said: “This week I’ve met WAVE, the Victims and Survivors’ Forum, SEFF, the Victims’ Commissioner Joe McVey, the Veterans Commissioner David Johnstone, and held a roundtable with veterans. I also visited the RUC Memorial Garden, which marks the service and sacrifice of officers, including those [who] were killed during the Troubles.
“I have wanted to sit down and listen to as many people and groups as possible, to get their perspectives and insights. These are my key observations so far. We can’t shape the future unless we deal with the past. And we have to get answers for families, including the many families of Armed Forces personnel who were killed.”
Bryant, appointed in July by Burnham, said: “I’m acutely conscious that this Bill is our last chance to properly address legacy issues and get as many answers as we can for those who are still living with the legacy of the Troubles.
“I want to ensure the Bill helps as many people impacted by the Troubles as possible get the answers they have long sought, and commands the confidence of those affected — including those who served bravely to protect law and order.”
There is still no indication of what form the Bill will now take and what amendments will be adopted.
Meanwhile, a unionist MP has called for a fresh investigation into a former IRA member, John Crawley, following his account of shooting a soldier during the Troubles in his 2022 memoir.
Call to investigate murder claim
Independent North Down MP Alex Easton said he was left feeling disappointed after writing to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to be told that an investigation could not be opened.
“That should not be the end of this matter,” Easton told the Belfast Telegraph. “The legislation provides a route whereby the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland can request an ICRIR investigation into a Troubles-related death.”
Mr Easton wrote to the then-Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, describing the situation as an “extraordinarily serious matter”.
Former US Marine and Provisional IRA member John Crawley, who served a 10-year prison sentence for arms smuggling, describes the shooting of a British soldier in detail in his memoir, The Yank: My Life as a Former US Marine in the IRA. His account has not been independently verified.
Crawley also recounts working with Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger to assemble an IRA arms shipment. After he was arrested aboard the gun-running trawler Marita Ann off the Kerry coast, he served ten years in prison. Following his release, he became involved in an IRA operation targeting London’s electricity infrastructure and was later sentenced in Britain to 35 years for conspiracy to cause explosions, before being released under the Good Friday Agreement.
Easton is calling for an investigation to be launched to address “serious questions which cannot be ignored”.
He asked: “Who was the British soldier Crawley describes shooting? Did that soldier survive or was he murdered? Is there evidence available today which could still lead to an investigation and prosecution?”
Crawley, who was born in New York City and moved to Ireland aged 14. At 18, he served in the US Marine Corps before returning to Northern Ireland, where he became involved with the IRA
“Despite the extraordinary account contained within his memoir, I have been unable to establish, from the information available to me, that he has ever been prosecuted for the shooting he describes.” Easton said, adding the soldier’s family “deserve to know [that] every possible avenue for establishing the full circumstances of this incident has been pursued”.
He continued: “There cannot be one standard of justice for some victims of the Troubles and another standard for those who wore the uniform of the British Army or Ulster Defence Regiment,”
Mr Easton said he will write to the new Secretary of State, Sir Chris Bryant.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Office said: “The ICRIR is able to investigate serious Troubles-related offences, and indeed it is currently investigating a significant number of killings of British soldiers by the IRA.
“The Troubles Bill will further strengthen its ability to obtain as much information as possible for families.
“The Secretary of State is grateful to Mr Easton for raising this case with him and will respond to his correspondence shortly.
“We would urge anyone with any further information about this appalling account to come forward.”
What is missing are the details: How many murders of soldiers are being investigated, and how will the proposed new regime be any more successful than the existing one?