The Military Covenant
Sandra Osborne has welcomed the Tory led Government’s climb down on it’s reluctance to write into law the principles of the military covenant. Sandra has been calling for the nation's duty of care to personnel to be translated into firm pledges backed up in law as the Prime Minister had previously promised to do but failed to follow up on.
The current military covenant states soldiers will be called upon to make personal sacrifices, including the ultimate sacrifice, and that they and their families should expect fair treatment and to be valued, respected and properly rewarded.
In spite of the PM’s earlier promise, the Armed Forces Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, only proposed introducing an annual report on how the covenant was being honoured. A campaign led by the Royal British Legion and backed by Labour had raised the prospect of a real challenge to the Government in Parliament.
Amendments to the bill will now incorporate the principles of the covenant.
Sandra said
“This is a retreat from an inevitable defeat in Parliament in the face of real anger from forces, families and MPs.
"For months ministers have stuck their heads in the sand. I hope this marks the beginnings of a real reassessment of how the government is treating our armed forces.
“I spoke in the recent debate that Labour had called on the Military Covenant. In my speech I praised the service and sacrifice of our armed services. I pointed out that covenants down through history have been associated with words like ‘solemn’ and binding’; not mere warm words but often written in blood or on tablets of stone. When it comes to our Armed Services, the promised Covenant shouldn’t be just a Service Level Agreement or a few vague moral obligations. They do not pay the bills for service personnel or veterans, nor do they give the necessary guarantees in law which is the promise that was made and the promise that should be kept. I am glad that the Government has bowed to pressure and agreed to do the right thing. I will now be pressing to make sure that the words of the Military Covenant are meaningful and translate into real help and support for our military personnel and their families”
Ends
Sandra Osborne MP
Sandra Osborne has welcomed the Tory led Government’s climb down on it’s reluctance to write into law the principles of the military covenant. Sandra has been calling for the nation's duty of care to personnel to be translated into firm pledges backed up in law as the Prime Minister had previously promised to do but failed to follow up on.
The current military covenant states soldiers will be called upon to make personal sacrifices, including the ultimate sacrifice, and that they and their families should expect fair treatment and to be valued, respected and properly rewarded.
In spite of the PM’s earlier promise, the Armed Forces Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, only proposed introducing an annual report on how the covenant was being honoured. A campaign led by the Royal British Legion and backed by Labour had raised the prospect of a real challenge to the Government in Parliament.
Amendments to the bill will now incorporate the principles of the covenant.
Sandra said
“This is a retreat from an inevitable defeat in Parliament in the face of real anger from forces, families and MPs.
"For months ministers have stuck their heads in the sand. I hope this marks the beginnings of a real reassessment of how the government is treating our armed forces.
“I spoke in the recent debate that Labour had called on the Military Covenant. In my speech I praised the service and sacrifice of our armed services. I pointed out that covenants down through history have been associated with words like ‘solemn’ and binding’; not mere warm words but often written in blood or on tablets of stone. When it comes to our Armed Services, the promised Covenant shouldn’t be just a Service Level Agreement or a few vague moral obligations. They do not pay the bills for service personnel or veterans, nor do they give the necessary guarantees in law which is the promise that was made and the promise that should be kept. I am glad that the Government has bowed to pressure and agreed to do the right thing. I will now be pressing to make sure that the words of the Military Covenant are meaningful and translate into real help and support for our military personnel and their families”
Ends
Sandra Osborne MP