MP urges Government to keep up momentum
Following yesterday’s announcement (please see John’s press release for more information) the Minister for Veterans, Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP, gave a Statement to the House of Commons during which he acknowledged John and other MPs’ work in promoting the veterans’ cause.
In the Chamber, John asked,
“I congratulate the Government and the Minister on the good work he has done on this issue. The House may be aware that a number of colleagues on both sides have campaigned on this for quite a while. In 2012, I was lucky enough to lead a campaign that finally saw a Prime Minister, David Cameron at the time, acknowledge the work of the nuclear test veterans and thank them at the Dispatch Box. We also managed to secure £25 million for the aged veterans fund, which is largely there for nuclear test veterans and their descendants – we should never forget the descendants, because the nuclear test veterans often are more interested in the welfare of their descendants than in themselves.”
“I congratulate the Minister and ask him to ensure that the momentum is kept up. We still have a lot to do, but we have accomplished an awful lot, including this initiative from the Government.”
The Minister paid tribute to John’s campaigning from 2012, including the recognition by David Cameron and the creation of the Aged Veterans’ Fund. He said the medal and project funding was the beginning, and all part of the Government’s plans to make Britain the best place in the world to be a veteran.
Notes to Editors:
- The full transcript is available online at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022-11-22/debates/F4B07DE6-8235-4393-8DE3-D40A7550BF01/NuclearTestVeteransMedals.
