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The DUP’s Jim Shannon struggled to hold back his emotions as he referred to the killing of family member Kenneth Smith on 10 December 1971. Mr Shannon served in the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) during The Troubles. He spoke as the House of Commons debated investigations and prosecutions into the historical actions of armed forces and police.

The DUP called for measures to be brought forward to ensure British veterans cannot face probes into their actions during conflicts if they have already been investigated. The party wants a statute of limitations to be introduced which would apply to those who served in Northern Ireland, as well as other war zones such as Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. In an impassioned speech, Mr Shannon said: “I understand very well the concept of closure and wanting justice. "I want justice for my cousin Kenneth Smith, who was murdered by the IRA."

PARLIAMENT.TV The DUP's Jim Shannon choked back tears as he spoke in the House of Commons

I want justice for my cousin Kenneth Smith, who was murdered by the IRA. DUP MP Jim Shannon

As he choked back tears, the Strangford MP added: "I want justice for the four UDR men... a few of whom I knew personally. "And yet there's no multi-million pound investigation available for that. "So I resent the idea that this seems to once more represent that one life is worth more than another. "It's not, never will be." Mr Shannon said bogus claims had been made "to destroy the reputation of our armed forces", adding: "This never can be allowed to happen." He also praised the work of Tory MP Johnny Mercer for his campaign over the discredited Iraq Historic Allegations Team.

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