Enshrine the Military Covenant in UK Law

As a Veteran I would like our Politicians to protect the men and women who protected them, by ensuring that the Military Covenant is made law. This should place specific legal responsibilities on councils to help our community, and so open many doors that are currently being held closed.

The Armed Forces Covenant makes commitments, but is currently voluntary. The Government should make the Covenant law, and create statutory requirements for the provision of services such as housing and mental health support for veterans. Far too many veterans have taken their own lives in recent years, and many have been ignored for housing because of the failure to implement legislation to protect the very people who gave up their lives to protect others. Actions is what we need, debates and promises will not be accepted any longer.

As a key commitment in the Election Manifesto, work is now ongoing to introduce further legislation to Parliament at the earliest opportunity as a key Government priority.

The Armed Forces Covenant has been working across the UK at the local level for nearly 10 years with every local authority in Great Britain having made pledges of support. As a result, we have seen a significant improvement in the understanding of how Service life can impact on the Armed Forces community, and how best to improve their day-to-day experience, and ensure they are not disadvantaged in accessing public or commercial services.

However, the Government was concerned that the current legislation is not enough in itself to ensure the future of the Covenant and the support it offers our Armed Forces Community. It has therefore confirmed that strengthening the Armed Forces Covenant remains a key priority for this Government, and is engaging with key stakeholders across the country to develop policy and guidance to support this work going forward.

Ministry of Defence