There have been a number of inquests where the Ministry of Defence has squirmed as coroners have complained about equipment defects and shortages in Iraq and Afghanistan. Could such cases be affected in the future by the new Bill, on the ground that public airing of such damaging details is not in the public interest?

Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, went to court after a series of coroners’ batterings to try to temper the critical language – and lost.

The MoD and the Justice Ministry also proposed that the names of special forces personnel killed in operations should never be released .

At inquests they would only be known by letters. This was supported by the families. However, the MoD has had to accept that it is impossible to impose a posthumous blanket ban on identifying SAS or SBS personnel. Transparency, even in these sensitive cases, is generally justified.

While the executive is responsible for preserving Britain’s national interests, and safeguarding genuine secrets, coroners have the right to investigate matters of public interest, and would always prefer to do so in open court.

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