The Northern Ireland Secretary has told The Independent that the Government's promised amendments to the controversial Troubles Bill will be brought to parliament on Monday (12 October 2026). The amendments will then be debated by the 'Committee of the Whole House' in the Commons Chamber on Monday, 19 October. UPDATE: The amendments have now been published ; see our first

A new campaign, Shoulder to Shoulder, has been launched by senior former military leaders and veterans to encourage Parliament to modify the 'Troubles Bill' draft legislation dealing with Northern Ireland legacy cases.

The campaign website includes a suggested message to send to your MP, and also gives the opportunity to sign up for future updates.

The website is at: 

Thanks BAFF for the ongoing coverage of the Troubles Bill and related muddles. As the Federation's original chairman and currently assisting with the ongoing BAFF restructuring, I thought it would be worth reminding ourselves of the Federation's position over the years on the applicability of law to military operations - and especially on so-called 'legacy investigations' taking place years after

With a significant procedural motion concerning the NI Troubles Bill expected on Monday (27 April), the picture is supposedly complicated by the expected absence of the Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, who is believed to be visiting troops engaged in defensive missions against Iran in the Gulf.

His absence from a key Commons moment raises questions in some minds about:

The saga of Northern Ireland Troubles legislation continues in Parliament on Monday (27 April), following a statement by the NI Secretary Hilary Benn last week.

Mr Benn's written statement confirmed that the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill remains central to the Government’s approach, describing it as an effort to finally address a long-standing failure to deal with the past. Nearly three

The position as of spring 2026 is a bit of a moving target, but can be summarised in three overlapping strands: (1) the existing 2023 Act (partly in force but legally damaged), (2) court challenges undermining it, and (3) new legislation currently working its way through Parliament but delayed.

1) The current law: the 2023 “Legacy Act”

The operative statute