The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (Remedial) Order 2025

What happened: On 21 January 2026, the House of Commons voted to approve the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (Remedial) Order 2025, a statutory instrument laid before Parliament on 14 October 2025. The motion passed by 373 votes to 106. The order was moved by Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on behalf of the government.

Why it matters: The remedial order addresses specific provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 -- passed by the previous Conservative government -- that were found by the courts to be incompatible with UK human rights law. In a case known as Dillon, both the High Court and the Belfast Court of Appeal ruled that parts of the Act, in particular its conditional immunity scheme and restrictions on other legal processes, breached human rights obligations. The order removes those incompatible provisions, restoring some legal routes for victims and families of the Troubles -- a conflict in which over 3,500 people lost their lives. The government described the order as a first step in a broader process of reform.

The politics: The vote divided sharply along party lines. All 272 Labour MPs voting, along with Liberal Democrats, the Greens, the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, and the SDLP, backed the order. All 90 Conservatives voting opposed it, joined by the five Democratic Unionist Party MPs, five Reform UK MPs, and two independents. The Conservatives, who originally passed the 2023 Act, argued the order undermines protections for veterans who served during the Troubles. The DUP also expressed deep concern about the impact on veterans. The vote sits within a broader government effort to reshape Northern Ireland legacy policy, with related divisions on the Victims and Courts Bill following in March 2026.