The Government is unstinting in its admiration and gratitude for our Armed Forces, who perform exceptional feats in incredibly difficult circumstances to protect this country. We expect the highest standards of our Service personnel, and the overwhelming majority meet those expectations and serve with great distinction – but we rightly hold them to account when they fall short of these expectations.
However, the Government is strongly opposed to our Service personnel and veterans being subject to the threat of repeat investigations and potential prosecution in connection with historical operations many years after the events in question.
This is why on 22 July 2019, the Defence Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, launched a 12-week public consultation on proposed legal protections measures for Armed Forces personnel and veterans serving in operations outside the UK. The aim of the consultation is to seek broad public views on our proposals, to help us determine and develop which measures we bring forward in legislation.
We would particularly welcome views from interested individuals and organisations across the Defence community – including serving members of the Armed Forces and their families, veterans, regimental associations and veterans’ groups, military charities and legal experts.
If you haven’t yet given us your views, we would strongly encourage you to do so; this is a first step to addressing concerns over repeat historical investigations and prosecutions.
The consultation document can be found at –
as well as the three ways in which you can submit your views –
- through the online survey
- by email to People-LegalProtectionsReview@mod.gov.uk
- in writing to the Legal Protections Review Team at Level 6.A, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CONSULTATION IS ONLY OPEN FOR TWO MORE WEEKS – IT WILL CLOSE AT 23:59 ON 13 OCTOBER 2019.
