Keir Starmer warned - 'You're in enough trouble. Don't start on veterans too'

Brexit warrior Mark Francois is at the heart of a new battle to protect veterans of the armed forces who served in Northern Ireland from being hauled from their homes to face vexatious prosecutions. The shadow defence minister was a leading member of the "Spartans" - the MPs who fought to stop Britain signing-up to a deal they believed would betray the millions of citizens who voted to leave the EU.

Now he is on the parliamentary frontline again, opposing Labour's plan to scrap a law passed by the last Government to protect veterans from prosecution. A petition opposing the changes attracted just over 195,600 signatures - and Mr Francois warns of serious consequences for Labour if former soldiers are "thrown to the wolves".

He said: "My message to the Prime Minister would be: You're in enough trouble as it is. You've angered all sorts of different sections of the electorate, from pensioners to farmers. Don't take on the veterans as well."

Mr Francois believes Irish republicans are on a mission to rewrite history - and he warns that "lawfare" will crush morale in the armed forces community and dissuade people from serving at a time when Britain needs a strong military.

The so-called Legacy Act was fiercely opposed by people in both communities in Northern Ireland but Mr Francois argues axing it will "put the sword of Damocles back over" the heads of those who risked their lives serving during the Troubles. The 60-year-old also fears its repeal could pave the way for the likes of former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams winning compensation for being interned, although the Government has pledged to take action.

He believes divisions have opened up between the Ministry of Defence and the Northern Ireland Office and is encouraged there are signs "Labour MPs are getting very nervous about this".

"If they carry on with this fewer people will join the army and more people will leave," he warned. "Because why would you want to join the army and fight for your country if 50 years later you could end up in a courtroom being cross-examined on what you were doing when you were 20 years of age?"

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has told MPs the London and Dublin Governments are "close" to striking a new agreement on dealing with the legacy of the Troubles.

"You've got a Government of human rights lawyers who, because of their almost religious faith in the Human Rights Act, are prepared to sacrifice our veterans and that's not right," Mr Francois said.

Basildon-raised Mr Francois joined the Territorial Army at university and has an MA in War Studies - but his concern for the armed forces was fostered much earlier.

His father, Reginald, served as a 19-year-old stoker on a minesweeper supporting the D-Day landings.

"Picture me literally at my father's knee, listening him to him talking about it," he said. "He wasn't jingoistic about it or anything - completely the opposite.

"He kept talking about how many men had died that day to liberate us from Nazi tyranny... He absolutely drummed into me never, ever to take living in a free country for granted."

His dad passed away when Mr Francois was 14 but this passion to defend freedom and sovereignty has powered his career in politics. Having stood against Labour hardliner Ken Livingtone in 1997, he won the Essex seat of Rayleigh in 2001.

"I've always believed, the first duty of governments above all others is the defence of the realm," he said.

He views this responsibility with a new urgency following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

"The reality now is the Ukrainians are effectively fighting for us," he said. "They're fighting for Western values and if they lose then Putin will keep coming. If you go to the Baltic states or Poland, they are very, very conscious of the Russian threat."

It is a mistake to see the Russian president as a madman, he argues, saying: "He is rational but utterly brutal so we have to be clear-eyed about what we're dealing with."

He is concerned that if Northern Ireland veterans are not protected from prosecution this will hit the morale of today's elite soldiers, warning of "particular anxiety in the special forces community".

"Special forces soldiers who are not shrinking violets are very concerned about what will happen to them if the Labour Government press on," he said.

Mr Francois does not shy away from a scrap - either with Labour or his own party on subjects close to his heart. His readiness to vote against Theresa May's Brexit deal marked him out as one of Parliament's most committed Brexiteers, and he went on to chair the European Research Group - a bastion of opposition to EU influence on British life.

Looking back on the battles to deliver a Brexit which honoured the referendum result, he said: "We thought ultimately what was at stake - I hope this doesn't sound pompous - was the democratic principle itself."

Today, he fears Sir Keir is "trying to take us back into the EU by stealth".

"They'll never risk another referendum," he said. "What they will do is they'll try and take us in quietly, bit by bit...

"[We] watched Starmer in action night after night, week after week for over two years in Parliament, conspiring with people across the House of Commons to try and keep us in the EU at almost any cost. I've seen this man in action and I'm here to tell you, Keir Starmer remains a Remainer and always will."

Some Conservative Brexiteers from this era have now joined Reform UK. Mr Francois argues the Conservatives made a critical mistake in its relationship with Nigel Farage after he helped Boris Johnson win the 2019 landslide.

"This all goes back to 2019 when Nigel Farage stood down what were his then-Brexit Party candidates which allowed Boris to win an 80-seat majority and we never said thank you," he said. "There was all this talk about 'Should we have given Nigel a knighthood or a peerage?' - we never even gave him lunch; that was wrong...

"To this day they're still angry about that and I understand that anger."

Now the Conservative party is in a battle for survival with Reform enjoying a mighty lead in the polls. But the next general election is years away and in the meantime Mr Francois is determined to defend the interests of those who defend the realm.

He expects a crunch vote may come in the run-up to Christmas and has direct advice for Sir Keir Starmer: "Prime Minister, these men defended us against terrorists. They served their country.

"Do not throw them to the wolves just to do Gerry Adams a favour."

A Government spokesman defended the plans to replace Conservative legislation despite fears it will put long-retired Northern Ireland veterans at risk of prosecution and could trigger demands for compensation for people interned during the Troubles.

He said: "The previous government's Legacy Act has been found to be unlawful in a number of respects by our domestic courts, and was widely rejected by families who lost loved ones to paramilitary violence, including the families of Armed Forces personnel who were killed by terrorists.

"This Government's approach aims to ensure that legacy cases are dealt with sensitively, efficiently and lawfully, and that the concerns of veterans are addressed through lawful and practical protections.

"We will address the complex issues relating to compensation for historic Interim Custody Orders in forthcoming legislation."