Honouring our veterans

Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day are opportunities for us to remember the service and sacrifice of all those who fought to defend our freedoms and protect our way of life. 

And although they happen every year, these important dates never lose their importance and significance to our history and our national story. 

From both World Wars to Kosovo and Afghanistan, our veterans have stood up for our country with courage and sacrifice. Their service has kept us safe and we must never forget the price they paid. 

Support for our veterans and their families shouldn’t be confined to a couple of days each year. It should be built into the fabric of our society. 

That starts with something fundamental: a decent place to live. Over the past decade, too many forces families have been let down left in substandard housing, facing broken promises and long waits for repairs. It’s not good enough. 

Labour is stepping up to change that. We’re renewing the UK’s contract with our veterans, starting with housing.  

Veterans will be at the heart of Labour’s new housing strategy. We’re introducing a Forces First approach developing homes on unused MOD land and prioritising veterans for high-quality service accommodation. We’re also launching a new Consumer Charter for military homes to raise standards and ensure repairs are done properly and promptly. 

Here in Yorkshire and Humber, more than 3,000 military homes will be upgraded because our heroes deserve homes that reflect their service. 

We’re also tackling homelessness head-on. Labour is committing £3.5 million in additional funding for veterans’ homelessness support programmes, including a dedicated wraparound service for those at risk. No veteran should ever be left to fall through the cracks. 

To ensure fairness and respect, we’re putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law making it a legal guarantee, not just a promise. 

And we’re going further. Too many veterans have struggled to access the care and support they need. That’s why Labour is launching VALOUR a new £50 million backed initiative to build a network of support centres across the UK, connecting local, regional and national services so veterans can get help when and where they need it. 

These reforms are about more than policy they’re about keeping our promise. It’s time to reset our contract with Britain’s veterans and give them the dignity, support and respect they’ve earned. 

The first duty of any Government is to keep our country safe.  

After a decade of the Tories’ hollowing out our armed forces, Labour has committed to the biggest uplift in defence spending since the cold war and has secured billions of pounds of investment to not just keep our country safe but secure jobs and grow the economy across the country.  

But our commitment to security and defence is not just about investment in the defence of today but about securing the security of those who served and sacrificed to protect our values and keep our country safe.  

And with this Labour Government our veterans will get the support they need.