An ex-British Army Officer has told GB News she is “shocked” and “distressed” by accusations made against the Prime Minister, alleging he was involved in a “witch hunt” against Iraq war veterans.
Speaking to the People’s Channel, Rachel Webster recalled her harrowing ordeal of being arrested and detained by investigators from the Iraq Historic Allegations team.
Sir Keir has been accused of “acting for interveners” on a controversial human rights case that ultimately paved the way for hundreds of British soldiers to face allegations of war crimes in Iraq.
Unveiled by The Telegraph, court documents show the PM worked on the case pro bono alongside Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, representing interveners, including the Law Society of England and Wales.
Recalling her own detention as part of the investigation, Ms Webster told GB News: “At six in the morning on January 10, 2014, I was woken up by a knock on the front door.
“I was arrested, I was forcibly taken out of my home in the Isle of Dogs in Canary Wharf, and then I was driven to an undisclosed location, which turned out to be a detention centre in Portsmouth Navy Base.”
She continued: “During my arres,t I was handcuffed, I was forced down into my bed, and I recall one of the arresting officers saying to me that if I ‘behaved myself, he’d take the handcuffs off me before I went out into the street’.
“I was then undressed, and I had to get dressed in front of two female Navy Ratings, and then I was subjected to a four-hour drive down to Portsmouth.”
Ex-British Army Captain Rachel Webster has been left ‘shocked’ by Keir Starmer’s alleged involvement
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PA / GB NEWS
Revealing that she was detained for 14 hours by interrogators, Ms Webster said: “I hadn’t even brushed my teeth or gone to the the bathroom. I had no water – I’d asked on numerous occasions for them to stop, to let me to go to the service station and go to the toilet, which I was denied.
“I was held there for 14 hours, questioned by Iraq Historic Allegations investigators about a colleague that I had nothing of an evidential nature to say. They thought that I knew something about an ex-colleague, and I had nothing of an evidential nature to give them.”
The ex-British Army Officer was then released without charge, but had to wait a further two years for them to admit “unlawful arrest and detention”.
She explained: “During that two years, it was the most horrendous time. I didn’t tell my family that I’d been arrested because the first time when you tell somebody you’ve been arrested, they immediately asked, well, what have you done? And I hadn’t done anything.
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of being involved in a ‘witch hunt’ against Iraq war veterans
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GETTY“It was just all illegal, and this is not just unique to myself. This is happening still across the United Kingdom where veterans are being taken out of their homes and investigated and spoken to about issues incidents.”
Asked by Patrick if it she feels it was “worth fighting for Britain”, Ms Webster made clear: “I do not regret any moment of my military service. I’m a very, very proud veteran of 24 years service. I did 11 years in total deployed from Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, two tours of Iraq, two tours of Afghanistan and numerous tours of Northern Ireland.
“So I’m a very proud veteran, along with all the other veterans I speak for. It’s shameful the way that we have been treated and and experiencing lawfare investigations.”
Pressed on whether Sir Keir should resign following the allegations, she responded: “That is not for me to say, but I think he should help be held to account for having a position in public office at the time. He should be accountable for his actions, and I don’t think it’s right or proper for me to say that he should resign or not. That’s for his conscience and for his party to look at and scrutinise.”
Ms Webster told GB News that the way veterans are being treated in Britain is ‘shameful’
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GB NEWS
In a statement, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told GB News: “A compensation claim following an arrest in 2014 has been settled.
“When claims are received, they are considered on the basis of whether or not the MOD has a legal liability to pay. Where there is a proven legal liability, compensation is paid.”
Downing Street said: “As the Prime Minister made clear last week, he will never forget the courage, bravery and sacrifice made for their country by British servicemen and women.
“The Prime Minister did not represent the claimants in this case. He represented interveners including the Law Society of England and Wales.
“The role of an intervener is to assist the court on points of law, not to advocate for either side. The Prime Minister was not involved in subsequent case heard in the European Court of Human Rights.”