Protection from ‘vexatious’ legal claims for troops

The Conservative conference has heard how the government will unveil a legal measure it says will protect UK troops from ‘vexatious’ legal claims. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the legal system had been ‘abused’, with the change in policy likely to see parts of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) suspended during future conflicts. As an ‘important step towards putting that right’, the change, subject to a vote of both Houses of Parliament, would see the UK ‘derogate’ from Article two (right to life) and Article five (right to liberty) of the ECHR in future conflicts. The Ministry of Defence said it had spent over £100 million on Iraq-related investigations, inquiries and compensation since 2004. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Prime Minister Theresa May said: "What we've seen is a whole industry of lawyers chasing after our troops and trying to bring claims against them, many of which are vexatious claims, and we want to put an end to that."