It is 2012 and a British soldier, Soldier X, reportedly confessed to his colleagues that he had murdered Agnes Wanjiru in central Kenya. Private X then allegedly took his colleagues to a septic tank, where he had thrown his body.

The body was discovered in a septic tank by a hotel worker two months after the victim was stabbed to death. To anyone who knew of Wanjiru’s death, the feelings of the victim’s family appeared to be of little concern.

Most disturbing are the reports from Private Y, who said he tried to denounce Private X. Private Y “told everyone” at the base what had happened, including senior officers.

Despite Wanjiru’s death in 2012, no one has yet been held responsible. The Kenyan authorities clearly tried to obtain justice for Wanjiru, a Kenyan investigation would have concluded in 2019 that the victim had been murdered by one or two British soldiers. However, no one was prosecuted.

My colleague John Healey, the shadow defense secretary, lobbied the government to act on this and I echo his calls for the full cooperation of the Department of Defense and to investigation. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace would speak directly to the Kenyan authorities, but it is clear that the public needs more transparency. That is why I submitted a written question to the Minister, in the hope that he will take the opportunity to lift the veil of secrecy on this horrible affair.

Wallace said he was awaiting a request for help from Kenya in locating Wanjiru’s killer; Meanwhile, Army chief Gen. Mark Carleton-Smith said he was “appalled” by the allegations and determined to work with authorities to establish the facts of the murder.

Finding the facts and prosecuting those responsible is important, but the real problem is ideological. This Conservative government has seen fit to incorporate a “no questions asked” defense of overseas military personnel into its culture war strategy. Rather than acknowledging the sensitivity of these issues, the government has taken an extremist position. They frame the debate around the army around “vexatious prosecutions” and forget the victims without justice.

With the Overseas Operations Bill, I believe the government is providing implicit support for British forces to act without fear of consequences, alongside greater legal obstacles to prosecuting crimes committed by soldiers abroad.

It fuels a culture that Soldier Y warns us against, a culture where truth is hidden and justice is denied.

Diane Abbott is the Labor MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington