Fears Putin will abuse human rights laws against British peacekeepers in Ukraine

Calls for prime minister Keir Starmer to create exemption from the European Convention on Human Rights

British troops sent to Ukraine as part of a planned peacekeeping force could face “lawfare” under human rights legislation, Tory MPs have warned.

They called on the defence secretary to create an exemption from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) for any soldiers sent to the region.

Former Tory cabinet minister David Davis urged the government to recognise its “duty of care to those who fight for their country and then face decades of lawfare.”

James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, also called for the move to offer “maximum protection for our armed forces”.

Tory MPs are excised about the British troops and veterans who have served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Northern Ireland who have faced prosecutions in recent years.

Firefighters work following a Russian attack near Kyiv (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In 2021, Boris Johnson passed a law, the Overseas Operation Bill, designed to limit vexatious claims against military personnel.

That Bill would have forced ministers to consider derogating from the ECHR when it sent troops into combat, but that clause was stripped out when the legislation went through the House of Lords.

In response to questioning in the Commons, John Healey, the defence secretary, pointed to the legislation as he vowed the government was “totally committed” to the duty of care it has towards British troops.

Keir Starmer is working to create an international ‘coalition of the willing’ to offer peacekeeping to Ukraine, in the event of a ceasefire with its Russian invaders.

Sir Keir has also admitted that a US “backstop” would be needed for his plans to work, but there are signs he has failed to convince the White House to support the plan.

At the weekend Donald Trump’s special envoy slammed the PM’s Ukraine peace plan as "a posture and a pose".

Steve Witkoff said the Labour leader’s idea of a peacekeeping force made up of the ‘coalition of the willing’ was based on a "simplistic" notion of thinking "we have all got to be like Winston Churchill".

In an interview with the pro-Trump personality Tucker Carlson, Mr Witkoff, who is leading the US ceasefire negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, also praised Vladimir Putin, saying that he "liked" the Russian president. "I don't regard Putin as a bad guy. He's super smart," he said.