UK Supreme Court backs government in Troubles legacy case

The UK Supreme Court has allowed a government appeal in a major Troubles legacy case, in a ruling that campaigners for victims have described as a bitter blow.

Judges in London said parts of the 2023 Legacy Act did not diminish victims' rights.

The case centred on the law's treatment of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, or ICRIR, and on how disclosure of sensitive material should be handled.

The five judges said the Northern Ireland Secretary's power to decide whether disclosure would pose a national security risk was not unrestrained and was not the final say.

A Northern Ireland Office spokesman welcomed the decision.

The office said the judgment confirmed the ICRIR was equipped to carry out human rights-compliant investigations and supported the government's position on the Windsor Framework.

The ruling matters because the Legacy Act has been one of the most contested parts of the UK's approach to dealing with deaths and injuries from the Troubles.

It was introduced by the previous Conservative government and included conditional immunity for some perpetrators in exchange for co-operation with the new commission.

The Labour government has since brought forward a new bill in parliament, and MPs have already voted to repeal the conditional immunity provision.

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