House of Commons divided on Northern Ireland legacy and reconciliation bill

On Tuesday afternoon, the House of Commons debated the second reading of the Northern Ireland legacy and reconciliation bill.

Two stand out speeches came from Conservative MP Johnny Mercer and Social Democratic and Labour’s Colum Eastwood, who disagreed on the bill, including whether “collusion” can be proved. 

Mercer told MPs to “get real”, calling the process “a mess” that “we need to bring to some sort of end”.

Eastwood told the House that the bill “goes absolutely against the wishes of the people of Northern Ireland”, reminding MPs that the British government is not a “neutral observer”.