British government set to delay Legacy Justice Bill until November 

Bill would allow British government to effectively tear up parts of the arrangement governing trade across the Irish Sea post-Brexit

In a meeting with Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office Jonathan Caine, Irish American leaders at the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) were informed of the news that the bill is to be further delayed.

The British government is set to delay until November the controversial Legacy Justice Bill.

The controversial government legislation to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s Troubles “runs a very significant risk” of being ruled not compliant with human rights obligations, it has been found.

In a meeting with Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office Jonathan Caine, Irish American leaders at the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) were informed of the news that the bill is to be further delayed.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, former Fine Gael TD John Deasyand now Director of Government Affairs with the AOH John Deasy said Mr Caine told him of the intention to delay the bill again.

Mr Deasy and his organisation told Mr Caine that the controversial legislation “should be set aside”.

“We made it clear that this needs to be stopped and that it is clear to us that the legislation is in a state of flux.” 

Mr Deasy also said that Ireland should consider taking a case against the legislation and that he and his organisation have made that case to the Government and the Attorney General.

He said they have done so because the bill as proposed by Liz Truss, the current British Prime Minister, is in violation of human rights.

The matter has also been taken up by the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee which is to hear from Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney in the coming days.

The AOH is a prominent Irish-American organisation which bills itself as the largest Irish organisation outside the country.

It comes as Ms Truss is facing a rebellion in the House of Lords over the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol which is proceeding to its next stage just as negotiations to end the dispute with the EU are resumed.

It was scheduled to get a second reading in the House of Lords later today but peers organising the rebellion are planning to let it squeak through for tactical reasons.

They want to keep their powder dry until the committee stage on October 25 when they can try to delay the bill indefinitely with an amendment preventing it completing its House of Lords stages until an impact assessment is produced.