The Northern Ireland Secretary has apologised over comments she made in the Commons about the Troubles.
Karen Bradley said on Wednesday that deaths caused by the security forces in Northern Ireland were “not crimes”.
On Thursday, Mrs Bradley said that she was “profoundly sorry for the offence and hurt that my words have caused”.
“The language was wrong and even though this was not my intention, it was deeply insensitive to many of those who lost loved ones.”
“I know from those families that I have met personally just how raw their pain is and I completely understand why they want to see justice properly delivered,” she added.
“I share that aim and that is why I launched the public consultation on addressing the legacy of the Troubles.”
Mrs Bradley said her position and the position of the UK government was “clear”, that it believed “fundamentally in the rule of law”.
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“Where there is any evidence of wrongdoing this should be pursued without fear or favour whoever the perpetrators might be,” she said.
“That is a principle that underpins our approach to dealing with legacy issues and it is one from which we will not depart.”
Analysis by Jayne McCormack BBC News NI Political Reporter
After almost 24 hours of facing pressure to say sorry, for some Karen Bradley’s statement may be too little, too late.
Although she has acknowledged her language was wrong, she will still face questions as to why she ever made the remark in the first place.
Number 10 says it has full confidence in Karen Bradley as secretary of state.
It is also unlikely she will face pressure in London to step down.
A Theresa May loyalist, the prime minister can hardly afford to lose another cabinet minister when she is in the throes of the last Brexit act.
But already some politicians and victims’ campaigners in Belfast and Dublin have said Karen Bradley’s apology doesn’t cut it.
The Irish deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, welcomed Mrs Bradley’s apology and said he thought she recognised “the seriousness of the statement made yesterday”.
“She is making a significant effort today to try to correct that – and has made a very direct apology to the families,” he said.
Mr Coveney said he thought that Mrs Bradley had made a mistake, had apologised and was now trying to correct it.
“I made it perfectly clear to the Secretary of State last night that I believed her statement was wrong, that it was ill-advised and that it would cause deep offence to many people.”
Earlier, the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox defended the secretary of state.
Lord Dannatt is the former head of the British Army
Mr Cox told the Commons he “believed firmly” that Mrs Bradley had not intended any offence.
She “has in any event corrected the remarks”, he added.
The former head of the Army, Lord Dannatt, had said Mrs Bradley should consider apologising over the comments.
Lord Dannatt told BBC NI’s Good Morning Ulster she should not resign.
“It think it would not be unreasonable for her to offer an apology,” he said.
“I think it’s unnecessary for her to resign, there’s enough confusion in our political world at the present moment.”
He added that he thought Mrs Bradley was right to return to the chamber to clarify her comments.
Former army officer, Upper Bann Ulster Unionist assembly member, Doug Beattie, said that politicians must be very mindful about what they say about Troubles legacy issues adding that politics had arrived at a “major tipping point”.
Mrs Bradley “should have been alive” to the fact that an announcement is due to be made on whether or not former soldiers should be prosecuted in relation to Bloody Sunday, he said.
‘Foot in mouth’
“She has clearly put her foot in her mouth… and I think she knows that,” he added.
Mr Beattie said Mrs Bradley should apologise to the families of those who died on Bloody Sunday but differentiated those events from the SAS killings of eight IRA men who were preparing to bomb a police station in Loughgall, County Armagh, in 1987.
“If you take the likes of Loughgall, that was force on force and was absolutely right, Bloody Sunday was not and if there is evidence against those people who killed those innocent civilians then the law must be seen to run its course,” Mr Beattie said.
Victims’ families have called for the NI secretary to resign.
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John Kelly, whose teenage brother Michael was killed on Bloody Sunday, described her remarks as “outrageous”.
“Her place now is untenable – she should go,” he told the BBC.
Thirteen people were killed on Bloody Sunday in January 1972 after troops opened fire, and another died of his injuries some months later.
John Teggart, whose father was killed in the 1971 Ballymurphy shootings, also said the secretary of state should resign.
‘Not up to job’
The former Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt also criticised Mrs Bradley.
“One way or another I have had dealings with the last 13 secretaries of state for NI,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Karen Bradley consistently demonstrates she isn’t up to the job.”
