Kemi Badenoch Apologises After Bloody Sunday Footage Appears in Veterans Video

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has apologised after footage from Bloody Sunday was included in a social media video opposing Labour's changes to Northern Ireland legacy legislation. The video was posted on Tuesday and removed on Friday once the party became aware of the material.

Badenoch said she did not sign off on the video and attributed its inclusion to young staff who failed to identify the clip.

The footage showed soldiers entering the Bogside area of Londonderry on 30 January 1972, the day British soldiers shot 26 people, killing 13 civil rights protesters immediately and one more four months later. Badenoch's video criticised the bill, stating it would subject elderly veterans to repeated court proceedings for events from decades ago.

The Legacy Act had previously provided protections for Troubles-era veterans, including immunity from certain inquests and civil actions. Labour scrapped the Act, citing incompatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights.

On Monday, MPs voted 279 to 176 to carry the bill over into the next parliamentary session. Labour, Green, SDLP and Alliance MPs supported the motion while Conservative MPs, along with Reform UK and Liberal Democrats, voted against it. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the bill would offer veterans protections such as no repeated investigations, no cold-calling, consideration of age and welfare, and options for remote and anonymous evidence.

Badenoch argued the changes would drag veterans back to court for actions often directed by now-deceased political leaders.