Sinn Féin MP John Finucane has said it’s disgraceful that the British Government is attempting to rewrite its own laws to excuse the unlawful and illegal detention of hundreds of people during the 1970s. 

The North Belfast MP said:

“Having being found guilty of unlawful detention by its own Supreme Court, the British Government is now retrospectively changing the law to legitimise its own actions. 

“When people sought a legal remedy through the courts to these illegal actions, the British state’s response now is to simply move the goal posts. 

“That is not only disgraceful, it is undemocratic and a breach of the human rights of hundreds of Irish citizens who were unlawfully detained in the 1970s. 

“It is time to scrap the outrageous Legacy Bill and get on with implementing the legacy mechanisms agreed at Stormont House by the two governments and political parties in 2014 in a human rights’ compliant manner.”