n the Commons, shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle said: “The secretary has said that Government needs to demonstrate that Northern Ireland remains a strong and integral part of the United Kingdom in order to restore powersharing.

“A problem for him, though, is that his department still plans to impose immunity for terrorists on Northern Ireland against the wishes of all local parties and all victims’ groups there. Does he not see the damage this could do to the Union?”

Chris Heaton-Harris responded: “Yes, none of the political parties in Northern Ireland are behind this particular Bill, but in great fairness to the Democratic Unionist Party they have never been behind any sort of amnesty. It is a principled position on their part from the Belfast Good Friday Agreement onwards which I completely understand.

“I don’t think I will ever be able to win that argument with them.”

He added: “I actually think the Bill that we will present – which will be Article 2 compliant, I truly believe that – will actually go to getting information for a whole host of families that have not had it for well over 25 years.”