Stop offending our sense of fair play

It certainly concentrated my mind on the sacrifices made by all UK service men and women to keep us safe and project our British values across the world.

I’m delighted that the Prime Minister this week seems to be calling time on ambulance chasing lawyers hounding our courageous soldiers who served with distinction in Afghanistan and Iraq, in order to make a quick dishonest buck using the discredited and soon to be replaced Human Rights Act. I condemned them last year too in the Commons as thieves and I was spot on.

We all know that paying people to “create” vexatious and baseless allegations, the modus operandi of smug, self righteous Leftist “human rights” lawyers, is an affront to due process and morally and ethically flawed. It offends our British sense of fair play and sends a terrible message to those serving with unblemished records and those considering a service career.

It’s high time some of them were also charged with fraud and embezzling the UK taxpayer too!

I saw for myself on a visit to Afghanistan in 2008 the reality of the everyday lives and the ever present threat of danger, disablement and death for those on active service there.

Frankly, it makes my blood boil that we’re practically the only country in the world to use public money to pillory our own troops on often specious grounds and like many people, I believe that it’s high time the Iraq Historic Allegations Team which has cost £57 million, was wound up for good.

The long drawn out witch hunt dating back to the actions of the last Labour Government, needs to end and the PM is surely right that we should be proud of not just our superb armed forces but also our fair, enviable and even handed legal system but we need to get the balance right between them.

Hanging some brave young men and women out to dry for the actions of a tiny minority is also a betrayal of our British values is it not?