Former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has said the UK prime minister’s insistence that he will block compensation to him and other Troubles internees should come as “no surprise”.
Mr Adams also warned of the need for “caution” and called for more detail to be provided by the UK government in how it intends to change elements of the controversial Legacy Act relating to internees.
On Wednesday, Keir Starmer responded to criticism about his government’s proposed repeal of the legislation, part of which blocked any future payments to hundreds of internees wrongfully imprisoned without trial during the 1970s.
Reacting to Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch’s claim that he “may write a cheque to compensate Gerry Adams”, Mr Starmer said “we will look at every conceivable way to prevent these types of cases claiming damages”.
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“It’s important I say that on the record,” he added.
Fiercely opposed by victims’ groups and the North’s main political parties, the Act was introduced last year.
A supreme court ruling in 2020 quashed Mr Adams’s conviction for two attempts to escape Long Kesh/Maze prison in 1973 and 1974.
“We need to see the detail of what is being proposed, especially in light of the British prime minister’s comments,” Mr Adams said.
“The decision by the supreme court in 2020 was explicit. Interim custody orders not authorised and approved by the secretary of state are illegal. The British government has accepted this. It is a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.
“When the legislation is changed there will almost certainly be further legal process in the courts before there is clarity on this matter. But no one should be surprised by a British government seeking to dodge its lawful and human rights responsibilities.”
[ The Irish Times view on the Legacy Act: welcome moves to undo the damageOpens in new window ]
DUP leader Gavin Robinson urged the UK government to “get on with changing the law” so as to “close the door on any prospect of Gerry Adams being able to access legacy compensation”.
Mr Robinson said the UK government was “sovereign” and should legislate accordingly.
“With our hospitals, schools and police struggling to meet financial demands, it would be absurd if money from the public purse was to be handed to Gerry Adams and his ilk,” he added.
But Belfast solicitor Padraig Ó Muirigh, who represents more than 600 former internees, criticised Mr Starmer’s comments and said any attempt to block compensation would be “robustly challenged”.
In 2022, Mr Ó Muirigh represented former internee Patrick Fitzsimmons in a case challenging the provisions of the Legacy Act relating to internment.
The court of appeal overturned Mr Fitzsimmons conviction for attempting to escape Long Kesh in 1974.
“In light of the court judgment there was an onus on the British government to repeal this [legacy] legislation with immediate effect,” Mr Mr Ó Muirigh said.
He added that the British prime minister’s comments flew in the face of that legal judgment and their public commitment to repeal the Act.
“Any attempt to deprive our client of his human rights, including the right to a fair trial, will be robustly challenged by us,” he added.
