Conservatives mark Armed Forces Day
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The Prime Minister has hailed the dedication and sense of duty of
our service men and women and their families, as the Conservatives
mark Armed Forces Day with a commitment to secure Britain's place
on the world stage. Marking the culmination of a week's
celebrations, it is a day where people can show their support for
our Armed Forces. It is a way to thank the men and women who make
up the Armed Forces, from currently serving personnel to service
families and...Request free trial
The Prime Minister has hailed the dedication and sense of duty of our service men and women and their families, as the Conservatives mark Armed Forces Day with a commitment to secure Britain's place on the world stage. Marking the culmination of a week's celebrations, it is a day where people can show their support for our Armed Forces. It is a way to thank the men and women who make up the Armed Forces, from currently serving personnel to service families and veterans. Backing up their strong words with bold action, the Conservatives will meet the Help for Heroes Veterans' Pledge. On top of implementing the Northern Ireland Legacy Act, this entails:
The contributions of our Armed Forces should never be forgotten. As well as thanking them and celebrating them on a day like today, it is vital the Government backs them up with a clear plan for a secure future. That is why the Conservatives are pushing a number of measures to strengthen our nation's security. The Conservatives plan includes:
Putin's illegal and unprovoked attempts to destroy Ukraine are an assault on European security. It is vital for our own security that we continue to support them, and do not submit to Putin's bully boy tactics. Surprisingly at such a crucial time for the UK, Ukraine and the world, this is not a commitment shared by all parties at the General Election. As well as being a crucial element of our armed forces family, supporting our veterans is crucial as a mark of respect for those who have served. The Conservatives will continue to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veterans, by maintaining the Office for Veterans' Affairs, introducing a Veterans' Bill to enshrine the rights of veterans in law and establishing a tax break for veterans' employers. Whereas Labour has dedicated just two sentences of their 136 page manifesto to veterans. A recording shows they will not keep a Veterans' Minister in Cabinet and have pledged to scrap the Northern Ireland Legacy Act, which would inflame tensions and risk dragging veterans through the courts. Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister, said: “The women and men who serve in our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain. They put their lives on the line for us, and their display of duty, dedication and selfless personal sacrifice are an inspiration to us all. “It should be the first responsibility of any Government to support those who defend us. It's why it's so important that we get defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030, and also why we must continue our mission to make the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran. “In an increasingly dangerous world, our service men and women play an ever more critical role in keeping us safe. We each owe them and their families a huge amount, and on Armed Forces Day I pay personal tribute to everything they do for us and our country.” Johnny Mercer, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, said: “On this Armed Forces Day, I want to personally thank all our brave armed forces, both serving personnel, veterans and their families. They all play a vital role in the security of our nation, which is becoming increasingly perilous. “We are the only party which has committed to the Help for Heroes Veterans' Pledge showing that, whilst others pay lip service to veterans, we are firmly on their side. Sir Keir Starmer on the other hand can't match our veterans' pledges, protect old veterans from being hauled before juries nor back our defence spending increases. “Only the Conservatives have a clear plan to support our Armed Forces and secure the future of our country. Don't vote to let Starmer put us all in danger from Downing Street.” ENDS For further information, please contact the Press Office on 020 7984 8121 or email us at press@conservatives.com.
Notes to Editors Our Plan for Veterans We will meet the Help for Heroes Veterans' Pledge
We will maintain the Office for Veterans Affairs in its current position in the Cabinet Office, with a dedicated Minister for Veterans Affairs in the Prime Minister's Cabinet and maintain the £10 million operating budget of the Office for Veterans Affairs at £10m throughout the next Parliament. We will retain the National Insurance holiday for those who employ veterans, and we will bring forward measures to disregard War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme awards as income from benefits and pensions. We will extend the visa fees waiver introduced to cover Commonwealth personnel, to include their direct dependents. We will fully implement the findings of the independent review into Veterans UK and bring forward measures to ensure that public bodies record whether someone has served in the UK's Armed Forces. We will cut the cost of the Veterans Railcard so that it costs the same as the HM Forces Personnel railcard. Reducing the cost from £30 per annum to £21. We will bring into law the UK's first ever Veterans' Bill, which seeks to enshrine Veterans' rights in law for the first time. This will: o Criminalise the wearing of medals or decorations that people are not entitled to. o Create a legal duty to publish a Veterans Strategy and Veteran Strategy Action Plan, with a requirement for the Government to report progress to Parliament. o Give military qualifications equal standing with civilian qualifications to enable veterans to use their experience to enter highly paid skilled sectors. o Ensure that veterans receive a full transcript upon leaving the Armed Forces which includes a clear record of the training qualifications that veterans achieved in the military. o Require Government to appoint a National Veterans Commissioner on statutory footing. We will change the law to ensure that Veterans ID cards are valid identification in all future elections How we will pay for this
The alternative for veterans
Our Plan for the Armed Forces
Conservative Party candidates who are veterans Veteran Conservative Party candidates:
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