The
prime minister has ordered a clampdown on "spurious" legal claims
against UK military personnel. David Cameron has asked ministers to draw
up plans to end the claims, including measures to curb the use of "no
win, no fee" arrangements. A Number 10 source said Mr Cameron and wanted
to stop the "torment" felt by members of the armed forces who faced
such cases. Lawyers have argued that no-one should be above the law.
Troops' 'torment'
A
Number 10 source said: "The prime minister is deeply concerned at the
large number of spurious claims being made against members of our armed
forces. "He is absolutely clear that action needs to be taken and has
asked the National Security Council to produce a clear, detailed plan on
how we stop former troops facing this torment." Other plans being
considered by the government's National Security Council include
speeding up a planned residence for legal aid cases that will require
claimants to have lived in the UK for 12 months. The government's new
proposals also include taking action against companies found to have
abused the system in the past to pursue fabricated claims. There could
also be penalties for those lawyers who are found to have abused the
process. The BBC's legal affairs correspondent, Clive Coleman, said
lawyers stress the government has agreed financial settlements in
hundreds of claims brought against soldiers, and that few cases are
legally-aided.
'Deliberate lies'
A
spokesman for law firm Leigh Day said Mr Cameron should not challenge
the principle that "no-one is above the law". He said: "Over the last 12
years many cases of abuse made against the MoD during the course of the
occupation of Iraq have come to light and been accepted by the
government. "They include the appalling torture and murder of Baha Mousa
in 2003. In addition, the government has paid compensation for over 300
other cases relating to abuse and unlawful detention of Iraqis. He
added: "The vast majority of serving Army soldiers do a first class job
in protecting this country but the evidence shows that this is by no
means the case for all." Leigh Day has been referred to the Solicitors
Disciplinary Tribunal to answer complaints about its handling of legal
challenges brought by Iraqi detainees against the Ministry of Defence. It
follows the findings of the 2014 Al-Sweady inquiry, which concluded
that the most serious claims against British soldiers had been
"deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility". The
firm has strongly denied allegations of wrongdoing and said it would
"vigorously" defend itself. The Legal Aid Agency has also been asked to
review all contracts to establish whether legal aid should be restricted
on an interim basis in relation to any firm under investigation for
misconduct, and whether such contracts should be scrapped entirely after
disciplinary proceedings have been completed. The proposals come days
after Mr Fallon told MPs he was concerned about the "industrial scale"
of claims against serving personnel and veterans.
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