A Labour Party spokesperson has issued a statement in response to the Conservatives’ recent announcement on veterans, criticising the government’s track record over the past 14 years, according to a press release.
“Veterans have had 14 years of the Conservatives promising a lot but delivering very little,” the spokesperson said. “The Conservatives haven’t passed a Veterans Bill since 2010. They’ve only issued veteran ID cards to one in 10 eligible veterans and they’ve overseen a rise in veteran homelessness. The Tory record on veterans is a shameful failure and their election plans mean no change for veterans.”
Labour outlined their own plans for veterans, promising significant changes. “It’s time for change with Labour. We will improve the everyday lives of our veterans by putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law, protect and improve the Office of Veterans Affairs, and scrap visa fees for non-UK veterans who have served four years and their dependants.”
The Labour Party provided several points to support their criticism of the Conservative government’s handling of veterans’ issues:
- Despite a Conservative pledge to end veterans’ homelessness by the end of last year, it rose by 14 per cent. Approximately 500 veterans’ households are being made newly homeless every three months, up from 180 households a month.
- Fewer than one in 10 veterans in England and Wales have received their ID card. The Conservatives promised to deliver their Veterans ID cards by the end of last year, but as of March 2024, only 152,000 ID cards had been issued, equating to 8% of all veterans in England and Wales.
- The Conservatives have not delivered on their promise to make the Veterans ID card a form of voter ID at elections, resulting in veterans being turned away at polling stations during local elections.
- Employment support for veterans has been halved. The Conservatives initially promised 100 armed forces champions in job centres but later reduced this number to 50.
- The government has delayed waiving visa fees for non-UK service personnel and their families, despite voting against a cross-party backed amendment to eliminate these fees in the Nationality and Borders Bill in 2021. Labour has consistently advocated for scrapping these visa fees for non-UK service personnel who have served four or more years and their families.
The Labour Party also posed five questions to Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer regarding the Conservative government’s policies and promises related to veterans:
- Why did you promise that the veterans ID card would be on the list of eligible ID for this election but failed to deliver?
- Why have the Conservatives failed with the rollout of veterans ID cards since 2019, so only 1 in 10 veterans have one?
- Why did the Conservatives promise to end veterans’ homelessness, but it actually went up 14% last year?
- Why have the Conservatives forced 85,000 veterans to rely on universal credit to get by during the cost-of-living crisis?
- Why did the Conservatives vote against scrapping unjust visa fees for the family members of non-UK veterans in 2021?
You have to apply for a veterans ID card. They can’t force people.
My Veterans ID card arrived five days after applying on line.
iit should be applicable by email.
It seems that in dealing with Johnny Mercer, labour have decided that attack is the best form of defence. Looking after veterans shouldn’t really be a partisan issue. Half way through the election campaign the parties are still shadow boxing with taxation, immigration and culture wars issues. Here’s hoping we see some manifesto policies and rational debate soon.
All the topics end up being over simplified just to win a headline. Like Starmers commitment to maintain the nuclear deterrent and continue to upgrade the boats. Like we haven’t been doing that since the 60’s.
Indeed; given his predecessor’s views, Starmer is vulnerable on the topic of the nuclear deterrent and has to be assertive with his ‘changed labour party’ message. Same situation with labour’s high tax and borrowing image. Hence you hire a woman chess champion who used to work for the Bank of England. Fact is the country needs to understand that sacrifices and significant changes in the structure of society will be needed in order to fund increased spend on defence and improved public services. The election is really about choosing who will be making the sacrifices and what level of authoritarianism… Read more »
That is very true Paul.
agreed 👍👍👍
And also, you simply need to clear out the party in power every so often to keep them Honest…after about a decade or two terms parties of whatever colour simply get corrupt and complacent..with people joining simply because they are in power… look at the present PM he did not start working with the Conservative Party until after it got into power and did not quit banking until 2015 to become and MP..he was spotted into one of the safest seats and was immediately put on the payroll as a parliamentary private Secretary..within 3 years of being voted into office… Read more »
The pursuit of individualism, career, wealth, influence pleasure etc is the root of our problem. We have allowed ourselves to sleep walk into a demographic crisis – we have not produced enough children to support our elderly, preferring instead to import ready made immigrant taxpayers. This short term fix has blown up in our face. To get out of this situation will take a generation. We must return to ‘basics’ I.e. a society built on the nuclear family and community.
One of the big problems with that is the obsession with every person of working age needing to be in full time employment…you simply cannot have well functioning families if both parents have to work 40-50 hour weeks to be able to finance a household….if you flow back to my parents…they had one major income and one part time income and that was plenty to buy a house in their 20s and raise a family and they were working class…now your luckly to be able to afford a house on two professional wages and that’s not until you are in… Read more »
Doesn’t help when the government taxes single earners higher than families that have 2 earners. A family with an income from 2 people of 90k pay 20% tax where as a family with one earner on 90k pay 40% on 60% of their earnings and loses family allowance. Why do we do this, the only reason is class war, a single earner of 90k is deemed in a different class and therefore a target, but it directly undermines the family where is better for people to not progress to high paying jobs and both work as they net more take… Read more »
To honest it’s always been my view that we should really be basing our tax system on the basis of housed income and household size and as far as I’m concerned the principle should be all income types are taxed at the same rate.. I also think that any household that falls below a specific low income threshold for its size should not be taxed…I would much rather see low income households not pay tax and have less of such things as tax credits….I’ve never understood why we tax someone and then recirculate the money by giving them a benefit…don’t… Read more »
it’s not what that is taxed out of people that bothers me, it’s where that money goes to. take a look at foreign aid DO IT TODAY. millions given away to nations who are run by despots Pakistan gets 200 million. a nation that harboured the world world’s worst terrorist and allowed it’s its soil to train more. almost the same amount to India a nation with a booming economy and growing its military profile at a lightening rate. Nigeria. whose effort to eradicate boko haram is a joke and stands idle while natures greatest treasures are butchered towards oblivion… Read more »
The point of recirculating the money is so you create a dependent of the state, just not taxing them in the first place you have an independent. Our tax system is very cumbersome and needs to be simplified massively. Both parties go on about evasion, its not the most wealthy who are avoiding tax, they’re a very low % by tax gap its small businesses and individauls tax returns of lower net worth, stats put 30% misfilling, more than evasion and avoidance together by a good margin, if you add in errors in filling its 45% of the tax gap.… Read more »
If the government don’t take the money and restrict its return in benefits, unworthy people might get some. Benefits are only for honest, decent, hard-working families, not for, well, you know, people who might vote the wrong way.
What’s the opposite of honest, decent, hard-working families? Non-executive directors, I suppose.
Yes I do find the whole use of the term “ decent hard working families “ a bit irritating to be honest.
Sorry pursuit of individualism, career, wealth, pleasure are roots of the problem? What opposed to seeking collectivism, unemployment, poverty and misery. Sorry, yes doing things to excess is bad but condeming such pursuits is risking throwing the baby out with the bath water.
I agree with the family comment but everything you mention can coexist with a family values. The opposite of them will tear a family apart.
You are conflating collectivism with community. They are not the same. A healthy sense of community does not lead to poverty. Two principles are essential: individual talents need to be exercised in a spirit of service I.e. the common good. Secondly we need to respect the principle of the ‘common destination of goods’ I.e. the good things things of earth are for everyone, not just a select minority. Family is the basic building block of community.
Pardon me, collectivism is the opposite of individualism so excuse me for not getting that point. But again individualism take many forms. I think you mean selfishness rather than individualism. Isn’t securing the family the first priority, no good excercising a ;spirit of service’ if its not rewarding enough to support your family, afterall as you say family is the building block of community. The irony is its because UK, despite what some would like to propergate, and afluent society even at the lower ends. If you have ever lived in really poor country then you’ll actually find community is… Read more »
My error with individualism. Ego would have been a better choice. Agree your observation re poverty and community. A village with a butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker is not a collective. It is hopefully a community of individuals which will act in the common interest if its survival is threatened. Each of the individual villagers has a sense that they belong to something greater than themselves – its a feeling. I tend to associate collectivism with authoritarianism. Membership of a collective is usually compulsory. A sense of community is what keeps you going in the face of collectivism… Read more »
Hi Paul, I like your point about community. I think of myself as as a moderate capitalist with the moderating influence being the ‘community’. Post WW2 Europe, including the UK, was in a mess after all the bombing. In some countries starvation was killing 1000’s (Holland being a sad example). To try and rebuild Europe as quickly as possible there was, of course, the Marshall Plan but this was backed by policies designed to encourage as much investment as possible. Basically, greed became a policy tool to drive rapid growth. It worked. Unfortunately, we have not yet found away off… Read more »
Lots of creative ideas there but I’ll dip out of any debate on economics – above my pay grade – except to say there I understand there is an emerging group of women economists ( not Liz Truss) who advocate theories of managing the economy which treat growth in a more nurturing and sustainable way. Probably time to give them a try.
Giving economists a try hasn’t had the best success rate in the past.
As I say, I’m not educated enough to have an expert opinion on the detail. If you are interested there’s a lot of material to get stuck into on Mariana Mazzucato’s web site. She is one of the thought leaders amongst this emerging group of economists. Good luck !
seeing the uniforms of our proud forces on a regular basis should happen more often I always like to see the servicemen and women in their uniform at Wimbledon likewise on November 11 commemorations all those brave people still wearing their medals and berets never fails to bring a lump to the throat our armed forces and the people in them must be given a very high profile in all areas of society.the people of yesterday shape the ones of today and generation will show the way t the future.
With or without medals I’m always pleased to see those serving wearing uniform out and about in the community.
I see many many Americans wearing logos saying veteran on them. the status of military service given.here in the u.k is sad having given, and been proud to have and been proud to have done so all veterans deserve a higher profile in society than they are given if the nation could afford to have issued a veteran badge to those who had served the nation, surely a ball cap like those you see on former American veterans could be affordable.the regular sight of these in public might out the notion of service into more people’s heads I’m proud to… Read more »
I’ve heard it all before. All promises and then..nothing! Same in Manchester where the Mayor promised to end homelessness and…you guessed it, it’s got worse. I’ll believe it when it happens.
The veteran cards have to be applied for, they don’t even arrive automatically! And while Labour make grand announcements they haven’t been in a position to deliver them unlike the Conservatives who have ducked that and many other questions for the last 14 years. As yet it isn’t possible to complain about Labour’s policy delivery, while we can of the Conservatives.
Yes indeed, it’s really why our democracy is more of a negative act of removing a party from power that is not longer “delivering” what the nation needs than really choosing our governing party or priminister….universal suffrage is more a “ universal keep them honest”….but for all its flaws it’s still the best system of governance we have ever invented…which is why dictators and authoritarians always fail when they take it on…it seems chaotic and divisive..but in the end delivers the best most effective governments and populations that seem pampered and feckless but under it all tend to be “… Read more »
Not always true, its been said a good dictator is better than a bad democracy. I think democracy in the UK has been bad for sometime. We’re entering another election where people are voting for the least worst option or not going to vote at all. Our system is over impacted by vocal minorities and open to abuse from outsiders or states who have their own agenda. We also entered a phase of modern western society where diverse opinion is no longer tolerated so gets discredited, shamed or cancelled, essentailly a social scoring similar to China administered not by the… Read more »
Not really. FPTP only gives a valid result if there are only two parties or options. The result of having more, which is democratic after all, is that the largest party based on the varying ratio of population to seat boundaries, assumes all authority to act as it sees fit regardless that invariably less people supported their policies than were in favour. A system that requires compromise to gain policy implementation approval is much better. That is how Holyrood was set up, and actually works reasonably well. This also would work if the opposition actually tried to achieve compromise rather… Read more »
Nicely put Nick.
Although we should be careful of any system that gives extremist minority parties power beyond their representation. Our system makes that situation very unlikely but as you say really only works if there are two parties…
I read somewhere that some clever mathematician had demonstrated that it was impossible to come up with a prefect democratic voting system.
So I guess there no ideal solution. A lot depends on the behaviours of politicians and citizens… Oops.
Cheers CR
Ooops you’ve let the cat out the bag. Pity that not many people will realise!
Actually FPTP increases the chances of electing an extreme candidate as the number of candidates goes up. At 2 candidates, any system works. If there is 10 candidates, it is technically possible for someone with 10% (+1) to get elected, even if 90% (-1) think someone should take a cricket bat to the winner. The more candidates the higher the risk.
Yes being in opposition is very easy, Labour will now have to deliver many of there promises although Iget feeling they’re teeing up the first 2 years to be ‘it ain’t our fault those pesky Tories wrecked everything, oh an btw here the bill’ but thats pretty much what the Tories did in 2010.
Yes, and it will take that long for them to get their feet under the table just in time for the next election. But remedying 15 years of austerity induced backlogs and infractructure failings is not going to be easy or even rapid!
I would suspect that they will get two terms unless they completely fail or we get a major war…the Conservative Party are going to be taking the first term to rebuild any credibility and it takes a good decade for people to forget…and if the conservatives go down a far right rabbit hole it will be even longer as the floating voter population is naturally centralist in nature.
Yup! It makes a change to have reasoned debate on here. We have to get rid of the self-interest from political leaders to stand any chance.
Far right rabbit hole lol the reason people are leaving the Tory’s is because there not right wing enough
Not really most of the lost Tory vote is going to Labour…about 50% to Labour, 25% to reform and 25% to others or not voting.
It won’t be easy because Labour don’t know how to fix it either, they still wrapped up in their socialist class war from the last century. Neither Tory or Labour will get my vote, MRLP have more chance of fixing the UK.
The socialist class war still exists! Solely because the problems that gave rise to the demands/concerns still exist and in fact over the last 14 years have got worse!
Took the 8 weeks but mine arrived, not sure it’s currently worth the plastic it’s printed on, already had DDS card and paid for Vet railcard
It’s a trap to mobilise you 😉
I don’t have an ID because I have not applied for one. I don’t see the need for one in my current situation. I would rather let people who want!/need them get them so yes I am dragging the figures down… Oh my bad…. Voter ID- The agreed forms of ID where promulgated before the Vet ID card design was actually agreed. It took them long enough to sort out the agreed ID forms! . If someone is dripping in this day and age about not being able to vote because there only ID is a vet card! (Which you… Read more »
I did not know the whole thing about married quarters, very interesting..must have been really hard for you and your family at that time….accommodation is really important..spend my early years in married quarters on Taranto hill with my dad and my mates dads all away on the eagle, ark Royal or Hermes for a year at a time..I still remember it being important.
I was on a ship in Pompey…We were homeless in Weymouth so the missus was alone all week with me home at weekends if the ship wasn’t away. We got the flat eventually and then the next bit started. Home visit. Why no carpets? Where is the sofa and table? Apply to the council and get it on the Social… Explaining to them that I worked so couldn’t get any of that was a revelation for them. Plus side we got to the top of the list for Housing Association. No right to buy but a cash lump sum grant… Read more »
Honestly I think it says it all when sunak leaves the DDay commemoration’s early to go home so he can do an ITV political interview that’s not due to aired for 5 days ….just so he can give a 2 min “Im not a liar” voxpop. seeing all the major western leaders together including the president of the US, France and Germany without our priminister was bad for the UK and Cameron who was the stand in, looked uncomfortably like he knew it…Zelensky ends up meeting Starmer not the Priminister….it looked like Sunak had simply decided not to do his… Read more »
Agreed Jonathan it was disrespectful regardless what he had on in the UK.
Agree 100% BAD SHOW by the UK PM. A dishonour to those that served and gave Europe and the World FREEDOM. If those fools in Parliment actually knew what it is like in the front line they would be pushing for WORLD PEACE. The future does not look so good at present for us. I would rather have respect we are due from the populus than a bit of plastic as other states around the World give their service personnel who give up a lot to protect the freedoms so dearly paid for. As a service person I received more… Read more »
Bloody Hell Jonathan. I was at a friends funeral yesterday so not seen any coverage yet.
That is disgusting. Fully agree. He’s toast any way.
Fully agree – posted this on the D-day thread : An absolutely pathetic pointless own goal that shows the lack of understanding of the poignancy of the occasion and well deserving of the derision it has garnered. What about our standing on the world stage – what about the snub (perceived or otherwise) to the Americans from not attending the Omaha beach rememberance. I fail to see what positives could possibly have been envisaged from this decision, quite simply an unbelievable mis-judgment from Sunak & his ‘advisors’. I will add I think its indicative of his ‘smug self promoting ,… Read more »
I’m furious. Bloody furious. Agree mate, a PM just can not do that sort of thing. I don’t give a toss that he was there for the Brit events you must represent the UK at the main one too. From all corners people like to try to deride Britain’s current and historical role In world affairs and our central and pivotal role in D Day liberating western Europe should be emphasised at all times. And he left. He left!! 😳 I was appreciative of the way Macron spoke English when giving the medal to Mrs Lamb. And I’m not fan… Read more »
Then to compound the issue his apology stated (I’m paraphrasing) “The day should be about the veterans and we should not seek to politicise this”…. Sorry but isn’t that the exact opposite implied by his actions? We can-I assume-now add hypocrisy to his list of attitributes. Starmer’s response to questions regards Sunak’s absense this was ,by contrast , quite measured , didn’t attack Sunak directly , didn’t overly politisise it. It was a perfect example of saying Sunak was an arse without actually saying it. Sunak’s advisors on the other hand managed to screw up both the day and the… Read more »
I can’t think of one of those slimy b’stards who could adequately represent our country at such an honourable and significant event. They have destroyed the legacy that has been handed down to them with their weasel words and actions.
Shameful for Sunak to do that. It really was disrespectful to all veterans but especially to American veterans as it was an event on ‘their’ beach. Of second order – is that he will have lost a huge number of votes from the undecided and his absence will be known and talked about through the entire western world. He has humiliated Britain. No veteran can trust him. Also in this modern era, why did he have to fly back to a UK studio to do an interview? Why could he not have attended the Omaha beach event then gone off… Read more »
Spot on 👍
Absolutely, on the plus side we can vote for the another bunch of feckless idiots. 😀
Notice since the election annoucement you’ve become a bit more politically aligned 😀. Personnaly I can wait to see the back of the Tories the only major downside is it Labour taking over.😋
im getting a bit of there is a new broom coming excitement…in this case though I think it shows sunak just does not get it in quite a profound way. I know farage bangs on about the Westminster elite…which I sort of do and don’t agree with..but there is a grain of truth in what he says, in that their very much is a class of people called say the “global elite” or “sovereign” individuals and one of their defining characteristics they don’t really have have any real national tie or national identity…they identify more with the global elite group… Read more »
Its a good point but when you look at the global elite they’re pushing policies that align with progressives, its not libitarianism thats taking over the world its some quasi progressive collectivism where a few benefit (sound familair?). We are under going a revolution atm and heading towards collectivism. As you say could well be sponsored by a global elite. There’s not much difference between Labour and the Tories both are now pro collectivism, but Labour more so. As you’re aware I’m an advocate of freedom so really not looking forward to this collective utopia. Do you think Starmer the… Read more »
To be honest I just live in hope that we get some true statesmen’s..I think starmer has a twinkle of a possibility, so I will work on hope..I don’t think the Conservative Party has anyone at the moment. Mordant has possibilities and it will be interesting to see how she goes, I think it’s the time in opposition that show the people who are there for a belief in Britain over immediate personal gain. Im not against elites..but I think elites need to get to that point on merit. I also think those elites need to be grounded in and… Read more »
I think your understanding of collectives and mine are different. Do you mean community which is more of a self supporting ecosystem where a collective is more enforced rules on the population of the collective. Communism is the classic example of an extreme collective. Your right on education but we need an unbiased system that tolerates all views. In some educational institutions teachers and students are too afraid to present alternative views. You don’t get democracy unless you have unbiased education. Lastly I’m not sure I would not class Starmer as elite, sure he comes from a similar background as… Read more »
Yes I use collective in its broad term, most health systems in Europe are collectives…essentially using utilitarian outlooks ( the most good for the most people)..essentially balancing the importance of the group ( nation ) against the individual ..the whole is always more important in the end than the individual ( you would never sacrifice the ship for an individual) but individual freedom is an important part of the wellbeing of whole…vs the communist view of collective ownership of land and means of production…which essentially creates slaves.
The problem is it’s no balanced 10% of the population pay for over 60% of the rest. When you look at why you tax someone there 2 reasons 1 is to raise revenue the other is to change behaviour, tax of tobacco ulez are examples so not taxing people also drives a behaviour. This is where collective start to fall down, Punishment of a few within the collective, when these are the ones you need the most it’s flawed. Then there collective punishment like sugar taxes where because rather than hold people accountable for their consumption we choose to put… Read more »
Hi Jonathan,
The BBC have suggested that the decision to leave early ‘may’ have taken about six weeks ago as there was a comment from the French about Sunak heading home early.
This suggests advanced planning so some really bad decision making…
Cheers CR
Interesting piece on the number of empty council houses. Why? Not given but in Cumbria it can take Homegroup a good few weeks to bring them back to habitability. However, for the Councils I see something different: lack of funds and I think Labour should come clean on if they are going to look at Council Tax again because one thing from my work as an unpaid Town Councillor is that the precept Councils receive is not enough for the amount of work that needs to be done and the Council Tax Bands should be re-calibrated as they are not… Read more »
Are councils tasked with rebuilding the housing stock? – All I ever see is other housing association comanys working in conjunction with them(not that Inecessariliy agree with that model BTW) .
As for bringing them back to habitibility – that says more about society & the scumbags who treat them that way. I’m sure ‘back in the day’ there was more pride..no longer I’m afrfaid.
I’m not sure upping councl tax is the answer tbh.
Property prices are irrelevant to council tax bands all property has gone up by a %. Even if you add an extension to add value council will soon be knocking at the door to up you’re band. So it just spin for a tax grab. You can debate all day long if the extra tax is needed, I don’t want to get into that, but we don’t need new council tax rebanding for that to happen. So we just need politicians to be straight and tell us are we going to be hit with a council tax hike or not.… Read more »
Does it matter if house prices have changed since the 90s? The Council Tax Bands indicate relative value of houses – and that is unlikely to have changed – a mansion is still more expensive than a semi and the Band refects that.
Interestingly that’s not always true…if you take a couple of my houses
1) detached 4 bed built in 1995..on decent estate in town..value at that time £80,000 value now £310,000
2) stone cottage, terrace four bed,in lovely village, value in 1995 £60,000, value now £510,000-530,000..
Both houses are with one mile of each other…the four bed is £200,000 cheaper yet has the higher council tax band.
Yes, anomalies can happen. But you can appeal against your banding in this anomalous situation. Not sure there is the time, the money or the manpower to revalue every house and flat in the UK.
I’m sorry but if veterans can apply for there veteran I.d (mine came in 2 weeks) then they can apply for voter ID
The Govt of the day whether labour or conservative use the veteran card politically for the provision of winning of votes. The Govt announces there will be studies into housing, suicide, mental health and substance misuse all of which veterans seem to suffer, however, funding is incremental, it will set up 3rd sector agencies up to fail, the funding is normally incremental for a period of two or three years. agencies who win funding for this fixed term are normally quite successful over the period of their delivery, but, when the funding ends there is nowhere for the veteran to… Read more »