Starmer worked on legal case ‘witch hunt' against Brit Troops

Keir Starmer worked for free on legal case that triggered ‘witch hunt’ against British troops

Sir Keir Starmer’s past as a human rights lawyer has resurfaced in explosive fashion, with court records showing the Prime Minister worked pro bono on a legal case that opened the door to years of investigations against British soldiers — many of them later proven innocent.

In 2007, Starmer served as a lead barrister alongside his close ally Lord Hermer — now Attorney General — and solicitor Phil Shiner on a landmark human rights claim against the Ministry of Defence. The case, Al-Skeini v Secretary of State for Defence, ultimately transformed the legal framework governing British troops operating in war zones.

Starmer’s involvement helped push courts to revisit deaths involving British forces in Iraq, arguing that previous military investigations were “perfunctory”, “lacking independence” and “wholly inadequate”. The legal effort sought to extend the reach of the European Convention on Human Rights to British soldiers on foreign battlefields.

Though UK courts initially rejected those arguments, the case was later overturned in Strasbourg in 2011 — a ruling that unleashed a wave of criminal probes against British troops, many of whom had already been cleared.

Former veterans minister Johnny Mercer accused Starmer of “unleashing the witch hunt against British troops”, saying soldiers were dragged through years of investigations based on allegations that later collapsed.

One of the most harrowing cases was that of Sgt Richie Catterall, who faced scrutiny for 13 years over the death of an Iraqi man during a firefight in Basra in 2003. Catterall had been cleared twice before Starmer and Hermer urged courts to reopen the case.

An independent inquiry later ruled Catterall had acted lawfully in self-defence, finding evidence against him unreliable and partially based on a false document designed to pin blame on British troops. By then, the damage was done.

“I am gutted Keir Starmer helped bring this case against me,” Catterall said. “I was investigated three times. I wasn’t well when I came back from Iraq — and they kept coming for me.”

The prolonged ordeal left him battling severe mental health problems, attempting suicide multiple times before being fully cleared.

The solicitor at the centre of the claims, Phil Shiner, was later struck off and convicted of fraud, having fabricated allegations and paid intermediaries in Iraq to procure evidence. Yet the legal fallout continued long after his disgrace.

The Strasbourg ruling led to the creation of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, which processed more than 3,000 complaints at a cost of roughly £60 million to taxpayers — without securing a single prosecution.

Details of Starmer’s role have emerged as his government faces renewed anger from veterans over moves to reopen prosecutions linked to Northern Ireland. Critics argue it reveals a long-standing ideological hostility toward soldiers — despite Downing Street’s insistence that Starmer merely “assisted the court on points of law”.

For veterans who lived under suspicion for over a decade, that distinction offers little comfort.

key takeaways

• Starmer worked for free on a legal case that helped trigger years of investigations into British troops

• Innocent soldiers were pursued repeatedly, based on allegations later found to be false

• The fallout cost taxpayers £60m, devastated veterans’ lives — and delivered zero convictions

SOURCE: EXPRESS