General election: Political parties aim election policies at veterans
Written by News on 11/11/2019
As the election campaign enters its second week, the two main parties have shifted their focus to serving military personnel and veterans.
Boris Johnson has vowed to protect veterans from vexatious legal action while Jeremy Corbyn wants to improve working conditions.
Mr Johnson would amend the Human Rights Act so it does not apply to incidents before 2000, when the law came into force. This would include deaths during the Troubles.
The Tory leader, who will mark Armistice Day in the Black Country, said: “As we remember the ultimate sacrifice made by our brave men and women for their country just over a century ago, it is right that we renew our commitment to the soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and veterans of today.”
It comes a day after the publication of a report by the think tank Policy Exchange, which was endorsed by former US Army General David Petraeus.
Mr Petraeus had said: “The extension of the ECHR to the battlefield has made extensive litigation against British soldiers inevitable…This is not only unfair to those who have served and sacrificed for their country, it also gravely undermines the morale of those serving now and raises an unnecessary concern for potential recruits.”
Mr Johnson has also promised to guarantee veterans job interviews for public sector roles, provide childcare funded by the Ministry of Defence, and tax relief for firms hiring veterans in their first year out of the forces.
Labour wants to scrap the public sector pay cap, saying that according to their analysis, the starting salary of a private is £1,159 lower in real terms than in 2010.
The party wants to improve housing for armed forces personnel and their families by ending reliance on the private rented sector.
They also want to review the outsourcing of contracts as well as improving support for children whose parents are in the military.
Mr Corbyn said: “Our forces should not have to put up with pay cuts, sub-standard housing, difficulties accessing schools for their children, or face the uncertainty of relying on outsourced providers.
“After a decade of government cuts and outsourcing, Labour offers our armed forces real change with the pay, conditions and respect they deserve.”
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