Jeremy Kyle rages ‘it’s a national disgrace!’ as Starmer targets veterans

Jeremy Kyle has launched a furious on-air attack on  Sir Keir Starmer, branding the situation facing British veterans a “national disgrace” during a heated rant on his TalkTV show. The broadcaster did not hold back as he accused the Labour leader of having “led the witch-hunt against Iraqi veterans”, claiming Starmer played a key role in legal action that later unravelled in scandal.

Kyle told viewers that the controversy dates back to 2007, when Starmer was working as a human rights lawyer, alongside what Kyle described as his “awful Attorney General sidekick” Lord Hermer.

The presenter blasted the pair for working with disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner, whose firm later collapsed after false allegations against British soldiers. According to Kyle, those early cases reshaped the laws governing war zones, with devastating consequences for veterans.

Kyle started: "Let’s cut to the chase. We now, in this country, have a Government who are putting through a bill that says if you do not wear the uniform of our country and defend us, go up against terrorists, you run the risk of prosecution.”

He went on to highlight what he sees as a cruel contradiction, arguing that soldiers who were sent to war by previous governments are now being left exposed, while struggling with the long-term fallout of their service.

Kyle added that many veterans face lives “beset by PTSD” and homelessness, claiming the country has failed to properly look after those who served. But it was a comparison with former paramilitaries that appeared to push him over the edge.

“Worse than that. The IRA have got immunity. That is a national disgrace.”

Johnny Mercer, who served as veterans minister between 2022 and 2024, has also accused Starmer of "unleashing the witch-hunt" against serving and former members of the armed forces.

He wrote in The Telegraph: "It's clear Keir Starmer was personally involved in unleashing the witch-hunt against British troops that I've spent the last 10 years dismantling. He believes in prosecuting British soldiers so much that he insisted on doing it for free."

Sgt Richie Catterall, who fired the fatal shot that killed Muhammad Salim in the Iraqi city of Basra, endured 13 years of state investigations before being fully exonerated. The 56-year-old grandfather, who lives in Wales, was cleared of wrongdoing by the British Army in 2003 but faced two further investigations after the ruling. He shared: "I am gutted Keir Starmer helped bring this case against me. He is now the Prime Minister, and he owes me an apology."