Nigel Farage vows to pardon veterans dragged to court ‘merely for doing their job’

Reform UK says it would make it harder to prosecute serving and former British soldiers, with Nigel Farage’s party promising pardons for some veterans and an end to most ongoing cases. The pledge has drawn questions from military and veterans’ campaigners about whether it is legally workable and whether it could protect people accused of crimes.

Defence spokesman Angus MacIntyre said the party would act within 100 days of forming a government, requiring the Defence Secretary’s consent for most prosecutions. Former army intelligence officer Philip Ingram questioned whether the plan had a legal mechanism, while campaigner Paul Young argued that a Supreme Court judge should assess cases and that genuine crimes should still face due process. The pledge comes amid debate over Labour’s proposed replacement for the 2023 Troubles Legacy Act, which would create new bodies to investigate Troubles-related killings and recover information.