Nick Smith MP Labour MP for Blaenau Gwent
Blaenau Gwent MP Nick Smith is backing the Labour Party’s Five Pledges to support the Armed Forces and their families ahead of Armed Forces Day this weekend.
Yesterday (Thursday) the Labour Party announced the pledges after revealing House of Commons Library research which shows that, after almost a decade of pay cuts forced on military personnel by the government, a private’s starting salary is £1,159 lower today than in 2010.
Labour’s Five Pledges to support the forces and their families are:
- Fair Pay – scrap the public sector pay cap, which has seen a 5.8% real terms pay cut for the starting salary of an Army Private
- Decent housing for forces and their families – end the growing reliance on the private rented sector
- A voice for service men and women – consult on creating a representative body, similar to the Police Federation
- End privatisation – root and branch review of outsourcing and a clear presumption in favour of public delivery of public contracts
- Support for forces children – better access to schools with dedicated local authorities admissions strategy for the particular challenge of frequent school moves
Nick Smith MP said: “I have spoken out previously about my concerns around the failed outsourcing of Army recruitment, but that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how this Tory Government has let down our Armed Forces.
“The pledges set out by the Labour Party today will give our Armed Forces community back the respect they deserve.”