David Cameron planning a major overhaul of Britain's
legal system to give more protection to soldiers serving abroad .
The PM wants sweeping changes to legal aid rules and no-win,
no-fee deals to make it harder for soldiers to be sued.
It follows concern among Tory MPs over the number of
soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan who have faced legal challenges for
alleged human rights abuses.
A Downing Street source told the Daily Mail: "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."
Among the changes being considered are a ban on anyone
receiving legal aid who has been overseas for 12 months.
A clampdown on no win, no fee arrangements is also likely,
along with a new time-limit on making legal claims.
The Number 10 source even said the Government is considering
suing human rights law firm Leigh Day if it is found to have acted "improperly"
in the notorious Al-Sweady inquiry.
Leigh Day was last year referred to the Solicitors
Disciplinary Tribunal over claims it failed to disclose a key document to
inquiry bosses as they looked into accusations British soldiers killed innocent
citizens in Iraq in 2004.
A No 10 source said: 'It would be unprecedented for the
Government to sue a law firm in this way - but if they are found to have acted
improperly, then it will be the right thing to do.
"The public, and the soldiers who have been subject to
malicious lies, would expect nothing less.
A Leigh Day spokesman 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.
"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.
"No-one is above the law, not us, not the British Army
and not the Government. We cannot imagine that the Prime Minister is proposing
that this should change.
"We have made it very clear that we refute all of the
allegations that have been laid before us by the Solicitors Regulatory
Authority."
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