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The UK government is seeking to find a legal way to prevent former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams from claiming compensation for his imprisonment in the 1970s during Northern Ireland’s Troubles.

“We will look at every conceivable way to prevent these types of cases claiming damages,” Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons on Wednesday, referring to Adams and hundreds of others who have been intern at the time.

Opposition Conservatives have criticized the government’s plans to scrap provisions in the Legacy Act that would open the door to paying damages to “terrorists”. Sixteen peers criticized Labour’s proposals in the a paper on Wednesday that the think-tank published Policy Exchange.

Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn last month formally began the process of overhauling the previous Conservative administration. Legacy Act, which was rejected by regional political parties, victims, rights groups and the Irish government.

Benn said that Sections 46 and 47 of the act – which relate to orders for the detention of Adams and others arrested under internment, or detention without trial – should be revoked because they were found by the court to be against the law.

But Policy Exchange argued that Labor had not yet objected to the provisions and such a compensation payment would be “a poor use of scarce public funds at a time of national economic crisis”.

Speaking at prime minister’s questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed such hopes as “shameful”.

Tory MP Julian Smith, a former Northern Ireland secretary, urged Benn to “return to the previous cross-party position that we must block the payment of terrorist payments”.

Adams led the republican party Sinn Féin when it was the mouthpiece of the IRA during the three-decade Troubles involving republican IRA paramilitaries, pro-UK loyalists and British security forces. He always denied being in the IRA himself.

Adams criticized Starmer’s comments. “No one should be surprised by a British government seeking to shirk its legal and human rights responsibilities,” he said in a statement.

He said the decision of the Supreme Court in 2020 was “clear”.

“Interim custody orders that are not authorized and approved by the secretary of state are illegal. The British government accepts this. It is a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.”

But he added that there would “almost certainly” be additional legal challenges if the law were changed.

The row erupted the day after a date was set for Adams, 76, to go on trial next year in England as part of a civil action brought by victims of the IRA bombing who are seeking symbolic £1 damages a case alleging that he was an IRA leader.

A government official called the contention of Sections 46 and 47 “hypocritical” because the Act would eliminate such civil actions along with inquests. Labor has promised to restore it.

Adams’ legal team in the case, which is scheduled to begin on March 9 2026, is led by Richard Hermer, UK attorney-general.

The dispute over possible damages arose after Adams in 2020 successfully appealed convictions for attempting to escape from prison in 1973 and 1974.

The Supreme Court ruled that the interim custody order (ICO) used to imprison him was invalid because it was not signed by former secretary of state Willie Whitelaw. About 300-400 people are believed to be in a similar situation.

However, former Northern Ireland minister Lord Caine told BBC Radio Ulster that the practice of allowing junior ministers or senior officials to sign such orders dates back to the 1940s under the Carlton doctrine. .

“In a sense, it’s not really about Gerry Adams, it’s about restoring clarity to the law and making sure that something that is so deeply established in our government’s procedures and constitutional practices is restored ,” he said.

Starmer defended plans to repeal the Legacy Act saying it was “not appropriate”, particularly because it would give “hundreds of terrorists immunity. . . We’re going to put a better framework in place.”