'I want to make South Shropshire the best place in which to be a veteran': MP backs Royal British Legion campaign
A veteran MP has welcomed a campaign by the Royal British Legion for better support for armed service personnel.
Stuart Anderson, MP for South Shropshire, has thrown his support behind a major campaign launched by the Royal British Legion, the UK's largest charity dedicated to providing lifelong support to the armed forces community.
This campaign urges the Prime Minister to keep a promise that he had made during the general election campaign in 2024 to strengthen support available via the Armed Forces Covenant.
The covenant, which was first written into law in 2011, is a pledge made on behalf of the nation to ensure that members of the armed forces community are treated fairly across society. It covers serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and their families, and places a legal duty on government departments to ensure that they face no disadvantage when accessing or using public services.
In his manifesto at the general election, Sir Keir Starmer promised to implement the covenant fully into law. This is expected to come into effect through the Armed Forces Bill in 2026.
However, the Royal British Legion (RBL) has called on the Prime Minister to take three key actions to ensure that the legislation is "truly effective".
In an open letter to the Prime Minister, the RBL has called for clear guidance, sustainable funding, and robust impact assessment to ensure that the changes deliver meaningful and lasting change for the armed forces community.
As a veteran, Mr Anderson said he welcomed the campaign to strengthen the covenant.
He said: "As part of my campaign to make South Shropshire the best place in which to be a veteran, I welcome this initiative from the Royal British Legion to strengthen support for veterans and their loved ones through the Armed Forces Covenant. In the manifesto on which I was elected, we promised to enshrine veteran's rights in law.
“Although the Prime Minister has committed to getting the legislation through next year, the legion has rightly identified key priorities to make sure the changes are successful. This includes ensuring that there is clear guidance, dedicated funding, and robust impact assessment methods to achieve consistent and sustained change that benefits all members of the armed forces community in and beyond South Shropshire."
