Prime Minister David Cameron asked the National Security Council to come up with plans to prevent returning British military from being victimized by "spurious" legal claims. Certain advocacy law firms and the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat) have been investigating British veterans, but Defense Secretary Michael Fallon has criticized these movements as simple cash-grab strategies.
According to The Guardian, Cameron describes these organizations as an industry trying to profit from British soldiers returning from the war in the Middle East. The PM said, "It is clear that there is now an industry trying to profit from spurious claims lodged against our brave servicemen and women who fought in Iraq."
"This is unacceptable and no way to treat the people who risk their lives to keep our country safe. It has got to end," said Cameron. He even ensured that the troops who will return home from the war abroad will be protected by the government from lawyers that are hounding them.
BBC reported that Ihat is currently investigating 280 UK veterans. Ihat was created to investigate alleged abuse, torture, and murder of Iraqi civilians by UK soldiers during the US-led war from 2003 to 2009. The organizations are looking into at least 1,514 victims, 280 of whom were allegedly killed unlawfully.
Channel 4 wrote that the Ministers on the National Security Council will extinguish the "no win, no fee" arrangements that law firms use against military personnel. Law firms that have abused the system could be charged with harsher penalties. These new plans comes as Leigh Day law firm was cited by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for failing to reveal key document to the Al-Sweady Inquiry over British military abuse in Iraq.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon criticized these organizations as "ambulance-chasing British law firms." He also pushed for the suspension of the European human rights law on sending the soldiers into action abroad.
