Military leaders demand action from Burnham and Streeting over 'national shame' facing UK veterans

By MARK NICOL, DEFENCE EDITOR and ROBERT HARDMAN Published: 00:05, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 00:09, 24 July 2026 SAS commanders took aim at Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting last night demanding protections for Northern Ireland veterans. Echoing the Daily Mail's 'Betrayal of the Brave' campaign, the Special Air Service urged the pair to end the 'national shame' of mistreatment of former soldiers. The Prime Minister and Defence Secretary were targeted in a statement to the Daily Mail issued by the SAS's Regimental Association (SASRA). Their predecessors, Sir Keir Starmer and John Healey, tore up the Conservatives' Legacy Act which offered legal protections for veterans for the first time. The legislation, championed by former Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, effectively banned all Troubles-era prosecutions, inquests and civil cases. Labour intends to pass a watered down alternative, the Troubles Bill, agreed in concert with the Irish government in Dublin. It includes a legacy commission intended to investigate killings from that era. The Bill, which has paved the way for inquests to resume, reached the House of Lords earlier this year. But since then Sir Keir has stepped down as Prime Minister and John Healey has resigned as Defence Secretary - the latter returning to government earlier this week as Chancellor. SAS commanders took aim at Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting last night demanding protections for Northern Ireland veterans Sir Keir's Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Attorney General Lord Hermer have also left their posts, replaced by Chris Bryant and Ellie Reeves respectively. In a statement, SASRA said: 'We are determined to do whatever it takes to protect these men and women from the manifestly unfair treatment to which they have been subjected by the Northern Ireland legacy processes which blights their lives and those of their families. 'It is a national shame which must be stopped. We stand ready to assist. We have never sought immunity, only fairness.  'One aim is to ensure no veteran faces persecution for properly carrying out their duty during the Troubles and that the State stands behind them. 'To give confidence to our veterans we require that no proceedings should be allowed without compelling new evidence.  'Key decisions must be taken outside Northern Ireland and there must be effective independent oversight.' SASRA's remarks were backed by former SAS Commanding Officer Colonel Richard Williams. He accused Labour of wanting to 'see the purging of the old, messy, violent men who win wars'. He told the Mail: 'I was once one of those necessarily violent men, as CO of the SAS. I fear in the coming years the aggressive, war-fighting nature that the SAS embodies will disappear; its claws clipped, its teeth filed down. Echoing the Daily Mail's 'Betrayal of the Brave' campaign, the Special Air Service urged the pair to end the 'national shame' of mistreatment of former soldiers 'Those pesky veterans who know from experience that human rights laws cannot be applied to the 'kill or be killed' actions of armed combatants fighting each other, will be totally isolated from any positions of authority. 'For now, Andy Burnham's appointments, such as Wes Streeting, signal an isolationist and unrealistic vision.' Last night, the Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said scrapping the Troubles Bill should be top of Chris Bryant's checklist. The UK government says the Troubles Bill, in replacing the Legacy Act, puts in place a 'fair and transparent system' that enables families of victims to seek answers. It claims veterans will benefit from six protections and that the legislation will end immunity for terrorists. A spokesman said: 'The Bill will pave the way for new information-sharing arrangements. It follows extensive consultation with victims and families [in Northern Ireland] and reflects the Joint Framework between the UK and Irish governments.'