MP urges Prime Minister to keep Armed Forces Covenant Pledge

South Shropshire MP Stuart Anderson has voiced his support for a major campaign launched by the Royal British Legion calling on the government to strengthen the Armed Forces Covenant.

The campaign urges Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to deliver on his 2024 General Election pledge to put the Covenant fully into law through the forthcoming Armed Forces Bill, due in 2026.

Originally written into law in 2011, the Covenant is a national pledge to ensure that members of the Armed Forces community — including serving personnel, reservists, veterans and their families — are treated fairly and face no disadvantage when accessing public services.

The Royal British Legion is calling for clear guidance, sustainable funding and robust impact assessment to make the upcoming legislation “truly effective” and deliver lasting change for the community.

As a veteran himself, Mr Anderson has long campaigned for stronger support for service families and those leaving the military. He said that as part of the manifesto on which he was elected, the Conservatives had pledged to introduce the UK’s first-ever Veterans Bill to enshrine veterans’ rights in law.

“Although the Prime Minister has committed to getting the legislation through next year, the Legion has rightly identified key priorities to make sure the changes are successful,” he said.
“This includes ensuring there is clear guidance, dedicated funding and robust impact assessment methods to achieve consistent and sustained change that benefits all members of the Armed Forces community in and beyond South Shropshire.”

More than 13,000 organisations across the UK — including every local authority — have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, but research shows only 15% of people are aware of it. Mr Anderson has urged more local groups to get involved, saying it is a vital step in his campaign to make South Shropshire “the best place in which to be a veteran.”

Home to over 4,000 veterans, the area already benefits from initiatives such as the Veterans’ Support Navigator, launched by Mr Anderson in 2024, which helps former service personnel access available help and advice.