Northern ireland

A row has broken out over a Conservative Party pledge to protect NI veterans from prosecution.The Tories marked Armistice Day by promising to change the law to protect those who served in NI.But Ulster Unionist, Sinn Féin and Alliance politicians criticised the proposals.The DUP called for more detail about what the government intended and the Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) said it was "deeply concerning".UUP MLA Doug Beattie dismissed it as a pledge to attract votes and said he would not support it.Sinn Féin's Linda Dillon called the promise "unacceptable".DUP chief whip Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his party supported veterans but would like to see the proposals in more detail. The Alliance Party's Stephen Farry said there must be no amnesty for anyone who broke the law. Johnson vows to end 'unfair' Army prosecutions Why are some army veterans facing prosecution Veterans' protections 'should cover NI' Under the proposals, the Conservative Party would amend the … [Read more...] about NI parties hit out at veteran prosecution pledge

Potential prime minister Boris Johnson has pledged to end "unfair" prosecutions of Army veterans who served in Northern Ireland.The Tory leadership contender has joined rival Jeremy Hunt in backing a public campaign supporting soldiers who served during the Troubles.Many Conservative MPs have called for such a move in recent months.The government is working on legislation to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland's Troubles. Majority oppose amnesty over NI Troubles PM 'throwing veterans to the wolves' What do would-be PMs mean for NI? Mr Johnson also reportedly promised on Thursday to appoint a veterans minister if he is chosen to lead the Conservative Party."We need to end unfair trials of people who served their Queen and country when no new evidence has been produced and when the accusations have already been exhaustively questioned in court," he told the Sun newspaper."We must protect people against unfair prosecutions. And I will."I totally support the principle of … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson vows to end ‘unfair’ prosecutions of Army veterans

AMBITIOUS Boris Johnson will need to keep a cool head as he faces the toughest challenge of any PM to take office outside of wartime. Handicapped by a wafer-thin Commons majority, he has to deliver Brexit in 100 days, solve the Iranian crisis and rule on domestic policy decisions kicked into the long grass by predecessor Theresa May. And Tory MPs pointed out that all of this has to be achieved against a backdrop of feuding advisers and Boris’ headline grabbing relationship with PR girlfriend Carrie Symonds. There was no sign of Carrie yesterday but she expected to be by his side in No10 in the coming days as the new PM settles into the biggest job in the nation.Boris claimed to be “undaunted” by the scale of the task facing him in his “dream job”. Defeated rival Jeremy Hunt said today: “It’s a challenging moment for our country — this is perhaps the most difficult legacy that a prime minister has inherited in peacetime. It’s going … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson faces toughest challenge of any Prime Minister outside wartime but is ‘undaunted’

SAJID Javid was last night preparing to become Britain’s new ­Chancellor and the first Asian to hold the 11 Downing Street post. The current Home Secretary was set to be the biggest winner of Boris Johnson’s first Cabinet reshuffle today. The new Tory leader aims to appoint a record number of black and Asian MPs around his top table, with right-wing Priti Patel poised to succeed Mr Javid. Allies of Mr Javid say they are “confident” he has won the race for the Treasury, beating rivals Liz Truss and Matt Hancock.The future of other senior ministers hung in the balance last night, with secretive Boris keeping even close pals in the dark. One ally warned the success of the reshuffle hangs on whether he goes ahead with his desire to remove Jeremy Hunt from the Foreign Office. Last night sources claimed Boris offered Mr Hunt the job of Defence Secretary, but he turned it down. The pair are now in a stand-off, with Mr Hunt said to be holding out for his current … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson set to make Sajid Javid first Asian Chancellor in major Cabinet reshuffle

Bring on Boris BORIS Johnson now has a thumping ­mandate from his party and the potential to be a fantastic Prime Minister. But his task is monumental — and he has to be smarter about it than his predecessor. Delivering Brexit somehow is of course the priority. He must today appoint a radical Chancellor to prepare a tax-cutting Budget in preparation for No Deal. The EU must know we are ready for it. Tax cuts should be near the top of the agenda anyway, with the overall burden at a 50-year high. Boris must put more money in Sun readers’ pockets and revive Theresa May’s failed mission to help the “just about managings”. Cutting corporation tax too will attract investment and create jobs.Boris must pump far more into defence. Having supported our Veterans Pledge he must legislate to end unjust prosecutions of Northern Ireland troops and put a Veterans Minister in Cabinet. He must re-establish the Tories as the party of law and order with 20,000 more … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson has the potential to be a fantastic Prime Minister — we congratulate him