Former Sinn Féín leader Gerry Adams is to take legal action over the British government's decision to prevent him from claiming compensation for unlawful detention in the 1970s.
As part of legacy legislation, introduced to the House of Commons yesterday, the UK government made it clear that Mr Adams would not be able to claim compensation.
In 2020, he won a Supreme Court appeal over historical convictions for two attempts to escape Long Kesh internment camp in Northern Ireland.
This paved the way for him to receive compensation.
The previous Legacy Act, introduced by the Conservative government in 2023, blocked this.
Yesterday, after introducing new legislation to repeal and replace the Legacy Act, the Labour government made it clear that Mr Adams would again be blocked from compensation.
In a statement, he said: "I have instructed my legal team that it is my intention to pursue legal action against Keir Starmer's decision to retrospectively change a law which a conservative government broke over 50 years ago.
"At the same time the British are introducing new legislation to protect British soldiers and RUC officers from facing the legal consequences of their criminal actions."
In response, a British government spokesperson said: "We believe that the Supreme Court’s ruling in Adams that the Carltona principle did not apply to interim custody orders was an incorrect interpretation of parliament’s intention.
"This week, we have introduced legislation to clearly reaffirm that principle for these cases, making it clear in the law that detentions were legitimate and lawful."
Additional reporting PA
