Conservative MP Mark Francois has hit out at Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, after a shock legal move by the leader.
In a statement on Wednesday, Varadkar detailed a fresh legal challenge against the UK, over their Legacy and Reconciliation Bill, accusing the British government of a "breach" of human rights.
The legislation, also known as the Troubles Legacy Bill, was sworn into law in September and enables some immunity from prosecution for offences committed during the Northern Ireland Troubles, which took place over 30 years.
The law had faced widespread criticism from the Irish government and opposition parties before it was given royal assent.
Leo Varadkar admitted a 'sense of regret' as he detailed the legal action
PA
Varadkar revealed he has received "very strong advice" from his attorney general that the act is "in breach of the UN Convention on Human Rights".
He added: "It is something that we’re genuinely doing with a sense of regret, and would prefer not to be in this position, but we did make a commitment to survivors in Northern Ireland and to the families of victims that we would stand by them, respect their wishes and also stand by the Good Friday Agreement, which specifically references the European Convention on Human Rights.”
Tory MP Mark Francois criticised the move by Varadkar and declared he feels "very strongly" about the matter.
Speaking to GB News, Francois stated he had campaigned for "several years" to get the legislation brought in.
Francois explained: "I feel very strongly about this. In the end we managed to persuade Boris Johnson, when he was Prime Minister to do it. That led to what became the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill.
"That was debated extensively in Parliament, took nearly a year to actually get through both the Commons and the Lords.
"And now it seems that the Irish government, perhaps aided and abetted by the President of the US, we're not quite sure, wants to go to the Strasbourg court to overturn a law which has already been passed by our elected Parliament.
"How can that be right?"
Mark Francois said he feels 'very strongly' about the move by Varadkar
GB News
GB News host Ben Leo questioned if this is "further proof" that the UK needs to leave the ECHR, amid an ongoing row over the Rwanda migrant policy.
Francois replied: "let me put it like this. There is a fundamental question here. Who ultimately runs this country?
"Is it A, the government and MPs democratically elected by the people at the ballot box in a general election, or is it B, an unelected, unaccountable, unrepresentative, highly political foreign court? Where does power lie?
"I'm with Parliament on this. I think most of the people are with Parliament on this. We had this over the last couple of weeks with the Rwanda bill. There'll be more of that in the new year. Now we've got it on Northern Ireland veterans. In a couple of months it'll probably be something else.
Francois continued: "We cannot allow a situation to pertain where the will of parliament can be overruled again and again by a foreign court.
“We should do on this what would David Cameron did to his credit on prisoner voting and simply say to the Strasbourg court, this is none of your business, we have passed the law, that is the law of the land and that's the end of it."
