Al Carns warns Troubles Bill could drive veterans to Reform UK
Former defence minister Al Carns says the Troubles Bill risks pushing veterans towards Reform UK, as ex-SAS figures threaten legal action.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The former defence minister Al Carns has criticised the government's Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, warning that it could push veterans away from the Labour Party and towards Reform UK. Carns, a former Royal Marine who resigned from Sir Keir Starmer's government in June, said the bill would drag elderly veterans through the courts and appeared to play into republican narratives.
In comments reported by GB News, Carns said the legislation was "playing to Republicans" and that Sinn Fein had "lost the war through physical means and now they're trying to achieve it through political means." He also expressed concern that history was being rewritten to cast Britain as the aggressor.
The warning came as Richard Williams, former commanding officer of 22 SAS, said Carns was "talking truth to power" and that the SAS Association had put the government on notice that it would take legal action if the bill did not protect veterans who had served lawfully in Northern Ireland. Williams said it was "unprecedented" for such an organisation to make that statement publicly, adding that the government had given the impression of listening to veterans but had not actually done so.
Sir Michael Ellis, the former Attorney General, argued that the bill created an imbalance, saying "only one side is getting in trouble with this legislation, and that's the British veterans." He insisted he did not want immunity for the armed forces, but also said he did not want immunity for terrorists, and accused the government of allowing terrorists to escape accountability.
The Northern Ireland Office responded by saying it was "fixing that broken system" and insisted there was "absolutely no equivalence between the lawful service of our military personnel and the sickening actions of the terrorists." The spokesperson said the bill would include "a raft of new protections for veterans."
Carns resigned in June over the proposed bill and what he called insufficient defence funding. His latest intervention adds to growing pressure on the government from veteran groups and some Conservative and Labour figures, with the political threat of Reform UK now part of the debate.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | GB News |
|---|---|
| Al Carns resigned from the government in June citing the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill and insufficient defence funding. | |
| The government said there is no equivalence between military service and terrorism, and the bill will include new protections for veterans. | |
| The SAS Association threatened legal action against the government unless the bill protects veterans. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News framed the story as a government betrayal of veterans, giving prominent airtime to a former SAS commander and a former Attorney General who both attacked the bill. The tone was strongly sympathetic to Al Carns and hostile to the Labour government, while the Northern Ireland Office's rebuttal was included but clearly secondary. The channel also highlighted the electoral risk to Labour from Reform UK.
- “He's told the Prime Minister that veterans will abandon the Labour Party for Reform UK if his government proceeds with a controversial Troubles Bill.”
- “And I hope that those within the Labour Party who are trying to choose between doing the right thing for the country, the veterans, for Ulster over the short and the long term, listen to him.”
- “Only one side is getting in trouble with this legislation, and that's the British veterans.”
Broadcast Timeline
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