£10m British govt payout over IRA double agents

The British government has reached a provisional agreement to pay £10 million to families whose loved ones were abducted, murdered, or interrogated by British double agents operating within the Irish Republican Army (IRA). This settlement addresses a dark chapter involving agents who infiltrated the IRA's internal security unit.

Central to the case is Freddie Scappaticci, a west Belfast man known as Stakeknife. He operated within the IRA's internal security unit, tasked with hunting suspected informers, while simultaneously feeding information to British Army intelligence and other security forces. Scappaticci passed intelligence from the late 1970s until the 1990s and died in 2023 after being relocated to England. A nine-year inquiry, Kenova, costing nearly £50 million, linked Scappaticci to 14 murders and 15 abductions during the Troubles.

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Given the possible time lag for board approval triggering extensive media speculation, we want to put these matters on record now. In doing so we are mindful of the sensitivities engaged with all the Plaintiffs and want to commend them for their patience.

KRW Law, a Belfast firm representing 19 families with 34 legal actions, has been in "advanced negotiations" with the British government. Nine families are receiving payments related to the actions of an agent other than Scappaticci, suggesting a larger network of security force agents within the IRA's internal security unit than previously understood. Kevin Winters of KRW Law confirmed a "consensus" on the settlement figure with government officials.

The proposed settlement, amounting to approximately £10 million collectively across all litigation, is now awaiting approval from the Northern Ireland Policing Board. The government maintains its policy of 'Neither Confirm nor Deny' regarding Scappaticci's role as a spy. The Kenova investigation found that protecting Stakeknife's identity was prioritized over saving lives, and he was believed to have taken more lives than he saved. The resolution of this litigation may also provide leverage for calls for an official apology to the affected families.

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The agreed collective figure across all the litigation amounts to around £10 million.