PM Slammed Over Troubles Investigation Claims

Prime Minister Theresa May has been slammed following her claims that only people in the armed forces or law enforcement agencies were being investigated for Troubles-related killings.

SDLP Justice spokesperson Dolores Kelly accused Mrs May of completely misleading the House of Commons with her comments.

She also accused the Prime Minister of being "out of line".

Mrs Kelly said: "It is an absolute scandal for Theresa May to claim that the only people being investigated in relation to the Troubles are law enforcement agencies and the armed forces.

"While we all know the British Government isn't one for dealing in facts, let me remind Mrs May that the official PSNI released figures in February 2017 showed that investigations into killings by the Army accounted for only approximately 30% of its legacy workload, while the majority of investigations were attributed to killings carried out by republicans and loyalists.

"The falsehoods peddled by the British Government expose the chokehold that the DUP has on Theresa May and her Government.

"At a critical time for Northern Ireland, the British Government is obsessed with satisfying a hardline, divisive DUP rather than protecting the interests of all peoples here especially victims and survivors.

"Never before has the lack of a nationalist voice in Westminster been so acutely felt, as Theresa May, the extremists within the Tory party and the DUP are able to run amuck with the truth unchecked.

"Victims and survivors are being let down again by political opportunism by a Prime Minister who is out of line and politically hamstrung."

(CD/LM)