The Troubles: Government wins legacy case at UK Supreme Court

The UK Supreme Court has allowed a government appeal in a major Troubles legacy case, in a decision which victims' campaigners have branded "a bitter blow". Judges in London ruled parts of the 2023 Legacy Act did not lead to victims' rights being diminished. A Northern Ireland Office (NIO) spokesman welcomed the decision. The 2023 Legacy Act was introduced by the previous Conservative government and offered conditional immunity for perpetrators of some Troubles crimes in exchange for co-operation with a new body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). The Labour government has since introduced a new bill in parliament, with MPs already having voted to repeal the conditional immunity provision. Northern Ireland's High Court and the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal (NICA) had both previously found that parts of the Act were incompatible with human rights and also undermined the rights of victims in breach of the Windsor Framework, which was signed following the UK's leaving the EU. In 2024, the NICA ruled the government had too much veto power over the disclosure of material by the ICRIR to bereaved families. But the five Supreme Court judges

May 7, 2026 → May 7, 2026