Keir Starmer has come under fire for 'snubbing' veterans with his latest move (Image: Getty)
The founder of a veterans’ employment community has said that care for British veterans is in the best place it has ever been, as Labour face criticism over their decision to relegate the veterans’ office from Cabinet, in what is seen by some as a snub by new PM Sir Keir Starmer.
The Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) had sat within Cabinet under the premierships of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak but has been moved as Labour signal a change of approach to their care for former service personnel.
In cabinet, issues concerning veterans will now come under the Defence Secretary's remit as a tiny part of a huge portfolio, which has sparked furies among top Tories in recent weeks.
Garrath Williams, the founder of Veterans community Job Oppo has praised the work of former Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer for his efforts in putting veterans’ affairs on the political radar.
Of Mercer, Williams said: “He worked harder than anybody I have ever known. He cares and ultimately, he didn’t care about rubbing people up the wrong way if he needed to.”
Mercer became one of several high-profile cabinet members to lose their seat in this month’s general election with veterans matters becoming the responsibility of the Defence Secretary to brief in cabinet.
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Former Royal Marine Colonel Al Carns has assumed the role as Minister for Veterans and People (Image: Getty)
Mercer had argued during his tenure that in order to fight properly for change in veteran care, the office had to operate independently of the MOD who it was required, at times, to challenge.
But this is not the view of the new Labour government as it was announced that the office would move back to its former home.
Newly appointed Minister for Veterans and People, Al Carns, has dismissed concerns that placing the office under the MOD will make veterans worse off.
Carns told Forces News: “Our ability to transcend all the other Government departments and make sure that veterans get housing, the correct transport etc is still absolutely in place.”
Former Commando Johnny Mercer led unprecedented change in veteran care (Image: Getty)
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Earlier this month, newly-elected Conservative MPs Ben Obese-Jecty fumed over the snub.
He said: “The Royal British Legion has already sought reassurances from the government about its support for veterans’ affairs”.
“Eyebrows have been raised across the defence community. It is difficult to see how much value the Defence Secretary will be able to contribute to cabinet given he has little direct oversight of the functions the office performs.”
It comes as Labour announced the introduction of an Armed Forces Commissioner in the King’s Speech, following the lead of both Scotland and Wales in doing so, but it is yet to elaborate on what form this role will take.
For Williams wherever the OVA sits, key areas of focus under the new government will be to formalise the support available to veterans, addressing negative perceptions and stereotypes, and distinguishing between issues caused by service or in addition to service.
One such issue is homelessness which has often been thought of as an issue prevalent amongst the veteran community despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
The OVA launched Op Fortitude last year, an initiative to end homelessness amongst veterans, with Mercer keen to combat the stereotype that the issue is one that plagues the community disproportionately.
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Al Carns, a Colonel in the Royal Marines, only left the Armed Forces in May (Image: Getty)
In response to a claim by the Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) that 6,000 veterans were homeless Mercer said: “We can't go around advertising what brilliant employees veterans are and, at the same time, say there's 6,000 of them sleeping on the street when there's not.”
This is something that Williams agrees with as he said: “These are not issues that are hugely prevalent, there is a minority that are homeless who used to be in the military.”
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“Are they homeless, an alcoholic, or got mental health issues because they were in the military? That remains to be seen.
“Far more people are made by their time in the military than are broken by it.”
Figures released by the MOD this month showed that mental health among service personnel is consistent with that seen among the general population.
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