How we look after veterans goes hand in glove with recruitment

THE Strategic Defence Review last week saw the Government lay out its 10-year plan for the military with a target to raise spending on the armed forces to 3% in the next Parliament. With the war in Ukraine, conflict in Gaza, threats from pariah states and a hostile China, the world is a more dangerous and volatile place than it has been since the end of the Second World War. This week the Daily Express is running its Defending The Nation series with a deep dive into the state of our forces and their ability to defend us in a new era and today we look at how well our nation treats its veterans, plus the world of James Bond and espionage.

- By Conor Wilson

FORMER Veterans Minister and commando Johnny Mercer once vowed to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran.

Disillusioned and angry with the support or lack of it afforded to veterans of Afghanistan where he served three tours, Mercer oversaw a period of drastic change.

Programmes such as Op Fortitude, Op Courage, Op Restore, Op Nova and Op Prosper sought to address shortfalls in mental health, housing and employment support and contributed towards his mission.

But by his own admission, he failed in this mission with veterans still lacking support from Government for actions taken in conflict and some ex-service personnel disadvantaged by their time in uniform.

Reflecting on his time as an MP, Mercer said: "To those who feel I didn’t do enough, yes I focussed on some areas more than others: veterans’ rights, mental healthcare, rough sleeping, prosthetics and, of course, protecting Northern Ireland veterans.

"I was unsuccessful in some areas too some issues remained outside my control, like...compensation. I wear all the criticism. I did my best and often felt broken myself.

"I am comfortable I could not have done more in the time and political space that I had. The opportunity for others to step up is always there."

According to the latest census data, 1.85 million people in England and Wales have served in the UK armed forces, representing nearly 4% of the population.

Mercer attended Tory Cabinet meetings to put issues directly to the Prime Minister but under Labour that brief lies with defence minister Alistair Carns, who does not.