Labour to block Gerry Adams from claiming compensation
The Prime Minister has sanctioned a legal change that aims to reinstate the Tory government's block on the former Sinn Féin leader's compensation without breaching human rights laws.
The move follows a backlash from IRA victims, politicians and former senior civil servants over a decision earlier this year by Labour to repeal the Tories' Troubles legislation.
Labour had reversed two sections of the 2023 Northern Ireland Troubles Act which denied Mr Adams – and up to 400 other IRA 'suspects' also detained in the 1970s – the right to claim compensation.
The move came after a Northern Irish High Court ruled that the Tories' legislation was incompatible with human rights laws. Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said at the time repealing the law underlined 'the Government's absolute commitment to the Human Rights Act'.
However, in a report by the think tank Policy Exchange, 16 leading peers including Lord West, the former Labour security minister, and Lord MacDonald, a former director of public prosecutions, urged Labour to reconsider its decision.
The peers – including Lord Butler, the former Cabinet secretary, and Lord Bew, the former chairman of the committee on standards in public life – warned that it would not aid 'the cause of reconciliation in Northern Ireland to leave open the possibility of meritless litigation'.
Suzanne Dodd, whose father Stephen, a police officer, was killed in the IRA bombing of Harrods in 1983, said: 'Considering the IRA victims have not received any compensation, how could Gerry Adams get compensation? My father was killed 41 years ago and it is highly unacceptable to hear that.'
Now Labour is seeking to restore the block on compensation but in a way that will be robust enough to resist any further legal challenges that it is a breach of human rights laws.
'Both the Prime Minister and Government have been very clear that we are looking at every conceivable way to lawfully address this issue,' said a government source.
'What we are effectively doing is bringing back what the previous government did but in a lawful way in primary legislation.'
Representing Gerry Adams
The precise details of the new legislation have not been revealed by the Government as lawyers ensure it is legally watertight.
It is not known if Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, was involved in the decision. Lord Hermer represented Mr Adams in a damages claim in 2023. It was brought against the former Sinn Féin president by three victims of Provisional IRA bomb attacks at the Old Bailey, London Docklands and the Arndale Centre in Manchester.
Lord Hermer has previously refused to disclose whether he has or has not given advice in cases where he may have a conflict of interest because of his previous involvement.
Mr Adams, who has consistently denied being a member of the IRA, was detained in the Maze prison along with hundreds of others suspected of involvement in terrorism amid sectarian violence in the early 1970s.
Sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles Act reversed the Supreme Court decision, preventing any compensation being paid out to Mr Adams and between 300 and 400 others. The move was backed by Labour in opposition.
However, Patrick Fitzsimmons, another Maze former Maze detainee who tried to escape, successfully challenged the legislation in the Northern Ireland High Court, arguing that it was a breach of his human rights.
When Labour took power in July, the party abandoned any attempt to appeal the decision and moved to repeal the relevant sections of the Northern Ireland Troubles Act.
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