Taoiseach brands Karen Bradley's killings comments 'insensitive and wrong'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described the comments by British Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley as “insensitive” and “wrong”.

Speaking in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said many families in Northern Ireland are still grieving.

“Legacy issues in Northern Ireland and Ireland and in Britain, in fact, are very difficult ones. I have met some of the families of the people who were killed during the troubles. They are still grieving. A lot of them are still hurting and a lot of them still have questions that are unanswered and are seeking justice even today and they deserve justice.

“And I think in that context, the Secretary of State’s comments were insensitive and they were wrong.

“Bear in mind what we are talking about here is the killing of civilians, not combatants. We are talking about peaceful protesters in Derry on Bloody Sunday. We are talking about Ballymurphy. We are talking about Kingsmills. We are talking about Dublin and Monaghan.

“We need a British government that is at least open to the possibility that these killings of civilians could have been crimes.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney met Ms Bradley on Wednesday night where he raised Government concerns about her statements.

This morning, the Northern Secretary has apologised for her comments in the House of Commons that all killings by the British army and police during the Troubles were “not crimes”.

Karen Bradley said today that she was “profoundly sorry for the offence and hurt” her words caused.

“The language was wrong and even though this was not my intention, it was deeply insensitive to many of those who lost loved ones. I know from those families that I have met personally just how raw their pain is and I completely understand why they want to see justice properly delivered,” she said.

“I share that aim and that is why I launched the public consultation on addressing the legacy of the troubles. My position and the position of this Government is clear. We believe fundamentally in the rule of law.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokesman said the prime minister continued to have confidence in Ms Bradley as secretary of state despite the controversy over her comments.