Fury as veterans commissioner attacks Labour over move that could see SAS heroes who stopped IRA bomb plot put in the dock
The Government’s decision to approve a new inquest into the 1987 SAS operation at Loughgall has been condemned as “appeasement” by Northern Ireland’s Veterans Commissioner.
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David Johnstone, who was appointed to the role by Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, issued a blistering statement following Labour’s publication of its new Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.
He warned that the move could see as many as 24 SAS troopers called before a court within months.
The original Loughgall inquest was among those paused under the Northern Ireland Legacy Act (2023), introduced by the previous Conservative government.
The Act halted new criminal investigations, civil cases, and certain inquests, replacing them with a Truth and Reconciliation-style information recovery model inspired by South Africa’s post-apartheid process.
In his statement, Johnstone accused the Government of undermining veterans and reopening old wounds.
“Veterans believe this is as much about appeasement as it is about seeking truth,” he said. “Even if acquitted, it is the legal process, sometimes spanning decades, that is the real punishment of veterans. The SAS soldiers at Loughgall deserve our gratitude: they should not instead be dragged through an elongated legal process, used to deflect from the true purposes of the ruthless armed sectarian murder gang who set out to murder that day.”
Johnstone warned that by allowing Loughgall to restart via the coroner’s court, the Government had “created a hierarchy of victims”, adding that the process risked unfairly favouring some families over others.
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He also questioned why the case was not being referred directly to the new Legacy Commission, which the Government claims will have stronger investigative powers and greater access to classified material.
“If the Government truly believes in the Legacy Commission as the best path for truth,” Johnstone argued, “then why is the Loughgall incident not being sent straight to it?”
Shadow Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois echoed the concerns, accusing Labour of bowing to pressure from Sinn Féin.
“Last week in the Commons, Hilary Benn effectively admitted that Labour’s Troubles Bill, if passed, would lead to a near-term inquest on the 1987 events at Loughgall,” Francois said. “This is something Sinn Féin have wanted for years as part of their efforts to change history and make the SAS appear villains—even though they successfully stopped an IRA operation to blow up an RUC station with a digger carrying a significant bomb.”
The 1987 Loughgall ambush saw eight IRA members killed when an SAS unit intercepted them during an attempted attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary station in County Armagh. A passing civilian, Anthony Hughes, was also shot dead.