Green Party deputy leader, Lesley Veronica has spoken out against the so-called Legacy Bill passed today at Westminster.

Reacting to the passing of the Legacy Bill at Westminster Lesley Said "The passing of this bill is a clear indication of the moral turpitude of the current UK Government

Rejected by all of NI’s political party's, victims’ groups, human rights groups and the Irish government and strongly resisted in the Lords.

The disregard for the impact this will have on survivors of the conflict is staggering. It has granted an effective amnesty to both British state forces and paramilitaries for atrocities committed during the conflict.

Today, I think of all those who have already been waiting too long for inquests into the deaths of their loved ones and can only imagine their disappointment and pain at being let down again.

For four years I sat with members of the Forum for the Commission for Victims and Survivors NI and it was a privilege. To be among people who had suffered so much and whose only desire was to prevent future conflict by facing the past.

The government could learn a few lessons from them, not least in humility.

This is a dark day for British democracy and for peace building in NI. You do not deal with legacy issues by sweeping them under the carpet. It is only by shining a light into our darkest corners that we will make a firm foundation for peace. This bill actively prevents that from happening.

So now we potentially face a two-tier justice system with troubles victims yet again at the bottom of the pile, while protagonists get state protection. The UK further damages its international reputation with the passage of this legislation and I have no doubt it will face many legal challenges in the days and months ahead.

For now, however the Green Party are thinking primarily for all of those for whom justice has been denied for too long and for whom this news today will be yet another burden to bear."