As Labour MPs and PPCs, we can all do our bit

By Jonathan Slater

As a Labour PPC standing in a constituency in which the British Army reside, I have become acutely aware of many of the concerns of our army personnel and their families. As such, I felt it important to address the current political debate over the Labour Government’s support for the British armed services personnel, particularly with many of them currently serving in Afghanistan.

This is a timely matter. The Secretary of State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth, announced on December 15th that the Defence budget is now 10% higher in real terms than in 1997, and the Chancellor confirmed in the Pre-Budget Report that not a single pound will be cut from the Defence budget in 2010/11. Over and above the Defence budget is the reserve funding for equipment and other military spending on Afghanistan. This reserve has risen from £750 million in the first year our forces were deployed in Helmand to over £3.5 billion this year, and will be higher again next year. That is £390,000 per year per soldier fighting, compared to £180,000 in 2006 – and it’s rising.

The Conservatives have tried to portray themselves as the party of the armed services by establishing last year their military covenant commission, chaired by the novelist Frederick Forsyth. This covenant has promised the armed services that they will receive the best training and equipment that money can buy and enough of it; if they are hurt, they will have the fastest casualty evacuation facilities possible; in hospital they will have the best clinical and surgical services known to medicine; and then convalescence, rehabilitation and compensation for their injuries. At the same time the military covenant promises that while the armed services are posted, their families will be looked after with decent housing, schooling and ever-present support.

These aspirations are all important. However, if you look at the record of the Labour Government there has been extensive support for our armed services. This includes, for instance, substantial investment in facilities at the Headley Court rehabilitation centre creating a new Cognitive and Mental Health Unit, a new 58-bed staff and patient accommodation block and improved welfare support for casualties in hospitals.

The Government has also announced a review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. And six regional community-based mental health pilot schemes are now operating in collaboration with the NHS, on top of 15 regional rehabilitation centers. There is also the 2009 pay award of 2.8%, for the third year running, which makes the Forces’ pay increase is among the highest in the public sector.

Despite these developments there nevertheless remain several steps which our Labour Government should take in order to better support our people in the military. They have been highlighted in the Royal British Legion’s General Election Manifesto:

For service personnel and their families
• Improve and keep the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme under continual review

• Stop breaches of harmony guidelines (deployment rates) in order to reduce family separation and breakdown

For bereaved armed forces families
• Provide bereaved armed forces families with independent legal advice during inquests

• Introduce an independent advisory committee on military deaths

For veterans and their families
• Make NHS priority treatment work for veterans with injuries caused by service in the armed forces

• Tackle poverty among older veterans and widows

The Legion attended all three party conferences promoting this general election manifesto. As part of their campaign, they have asked all MPs and PPCs to pledge support online at timetodoyourbit.org.

How politicians do their bit is up to them: the Legion just wants to offer every election candidate an easy way to declare publicly their support for the armed forces. This is completely different from any endorsement of their manifesto, which the charity accepts only the respective parties’ leaderships can do. So I have pledged to do my bit – along with a growing number of MPs and candidates from across the party spectrum, including the Secretary of State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth.

Another pledge I will be lobbying on is the creation of specialist bereavement counselling services for armed forces families, including parents and children. I have also committed myself to lobbying the Government over tackling poverty among veterans and their families by doubling the Personal Expenses Allowance for those receiving residential care, making the disregarding of all War Pension payments for means testing for Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit a statutory requirement, and developing an automated payment system for Council Tax Benefit. Finally, I will be working with other local constituencies, such as in Guildford, to collectively advance this agenda.

I believe that as Labour Parliamentary candidates we should all sign up to the Royal British Legion General Election Manifesto, full details of which, and a pledge form, can be found here.

In the meantime, we can all do our bit to ensure Labour remains the party of the armed forces. And I know the Legion is very grateful for every single pledge.

If you are and MP or PPC, please consider signing the pledge here, and reading the manifesto here.