Today (11 December 2023) Fighting With Pride delivered an open letter to the Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak), the Secretary of State for Defence (Grant Schapps), The Minister of State for Veterans Affairs (Johnny Mercer) and the Minister for Defence People Veterans and Service Families (Dr Andrew Murrison). In an act of solidarity, the letter is signed by some of the largest military charities, LGBT+ charities and older persons charities in the UK.
The letter calls upon the Government to honour its commitment to the full Parliamentary debate promised by the Secretary of State for Defence (Ben Wallace) on 19th July and to scrap the £50M cap on the financial award which the Government imposed upon the LGBT Veterans Independent Review.
In your hundreds you have contacted MPs and asked them to attend a debate in the Commons which Ministers have now side stepped. We understand from the BBC that the debate will be replaced by a statement by the Secretary of State in Parliament on Wednesday – a statement is not a debate and this is not acceptable.
Please ask your MPs
‘Why the debate on the Governments Response to the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, promised by the Secretary of State for Defence on 19 July, been side stepped?”
