Al Carns has resigned as armed forces minister, citing his opposition to the Northern Ireland legacy legislation being advanced by Secretary of State Hilary Benn.

In a statement, Carns said there exists “a hierarchy of truth in Northern Ireland around legacy inquests and inquiries.” His resignation letter pointed to concerns that the bill fails to address perceived imbalances in how Troubles-era cases are handled.

The legislation, overseen by Benn as part of the Labour government’s agenda, is intended to replace elements of the previous Conservative administration’s Legacy Act. That act had proposed a conditional amnesty, which prompted a legal challenge from the Irish government at the European Court of Human Rights.

Dublin has been pressing London to enact the new bill, viewing it as a necessary step to address its own concerns over the handling of legacy investigations. The Irish case remains active before the Strasbourg court.

The resignation comes amid broader UK-Ireland engagement, including a defence agreement signed earlier by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with the Irish government. The pace of progress on the legacy bill has drawn attention from within Labour ranks.

The Northern Ireland Office has proceeded with the legislative timetable despite Carns’s departure.