SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP has welcomed confirmation from Tánaiste Micheál Martin that the Irish Government will take an inter-state case challenging the British Government’s legacy legislation.

Colum Eastwood MP said:

“No political party or institution on this island supports the British Government’s approach to addressing the legacy of the past. This Tory government has passed the most extreme legislation that shuts down access to justice for victims and survivors who have been fighting for decades for the truth about what happened to their loved ones.

“The British Government has clearly undermined the international treaty entered into as part of the Stormont House Agreement, they have fought political leaders from every party in the North and they have set themselves against the needs of victims and survivors. The inter-state case being taken by the Irish Government is both welcome and utterly necessary.

“If the British Government will not respect the treaties it enters into, respect international law or respect the basic tenets of justice then it must be challenged robustly.”