Brecon and Radnorshire Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick has been urged to justify his vote supporting changes to Northern Ireland’s Troubles legacy legislation, amid concerns it could reopen the door to legal action against British military veterans.

The vote, held last week on the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (Remedial) Order 2025, passed in the House of Commons by 373 to 106, with Mr Chadwick joining Labour MPs in backing the measure. It removes the “conditional immunity” clause introduced under the previous Conservative government, which would have allowed anyone accused of Troubles-era crimes to avoid prosecution if they provided information to a truth recovery body.

The Troubles were a three-decade sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, beginning in January 1969, during which more than 3,500 people were killed.

Parts of the 2023 Legacy Act had already been ruled unlawful by the High Court in Belfast in 2024, as incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The then-Conservative government had sought to appeal the ruling, but the appeal was dropped by Labour ministers following the 2024 general election. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn told MPs the Act “fundamentally failed” and that a remedial order was needed to fix the legislation.

The vote also removes the bar on new civil claims over Troubles-era events, meaning people can once again bring civil cases in court over incidents from that period.

The measure must still be approved by the House of Lords before the changes take effect.

Reform UK councillor Iain McIntosh, representing Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew on Powys County Council, said the vote risked causing unnecessary stress and uncertainty for veterans and their families.

"I am deeply concerned that David Chadwick MP and his Liberal Democrat colleagues have voted with Labour to support changes that reopen the prospect of British military veterans being dragged back through the courts over events in Northern Ireland," he said.

"This is not an abstract issue. It affects real people, many of whom served their country honourably, often in the most dangerous circumstances. In many cases there is no new evidence, yet veterans now face the stress, uncertainty and financial burden of renewed legal action. We have already seen the devastating personal consequences this can have."

He noted that Brecon and Radnorshire is a constituency with "deep and longstanding military connections" including serving personnel, veterans and their families.

"Those people deserve clarity, fairness and support from their elected representatives, not silence or complicity," he said.

Cllr McIntosh continued: "Senior military figures have repeatedly warned that pursuing veterans in this way risks damaging morale across the Armed Forces, including within specialist units that the country continues to rely on today.

"It is also impossible to ignore the injustice felt by many veterans when former IRA members received so-called letters of comfort, while British soldiers now face renewed legal jeopardy.

"David Chadwick MP owes an explanation to local veterans and their families as to why he supported this vote.

"Reform UK believes our Armed Forces should be protected from politically motivated and retrospective legal action, and we will continue to stand up for those who stood up for this country."

Mr Chadwick defended his vote, saying the previous legislation “drew an abhorrent equivalence between terrorists and our brave veterans” and left soldiers in legal limbo.

He said: "The Conservatives' flawed Legacy Act gave immunity to the terrorists who killed and maimed so many during the Northern Ireland Troubles, via provisions later declared unlawful by the UK courts. It drew an abhorrent equivalence between those terrorists and our brave veterans who served with honour to maintain the rule of law, whilst leaving them in a legal limbo with false promises of protection that do not exist.

"We voted for a remedial order to uphold the rule of law and end that disgraceful equivalence by removing the unlawful provisions that granted blanket immunity even to the most violent of terrorists. We now need to make sure the Government listens to Liberal Democrat calls to ensure British veterans are given the protections they are demanding."