Today in Parliament, Stephen Morgan, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, continued his campaign calling on the Government to lift the 1% pay cap for our armed forces and give them the pay rise they deserve, following his leading of a Westminster Hall debate on this important issue recently.
Recruitment and retention in our armed forces can be described as nothing short of a crisis. The overall ‘offer’ to service personnel is continuing to fall under the Conservatives which is having a dramatic effect on recruitment and retention.
There has also been additional pressure put on the incomes of forces families from increases in national insurance, changes in tax credits, and increases in rental charges for those in service family accommodation.
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“I will always fight for a better deal for our armed forces and be a strong national voice for service personnel in Parliament.
That’s why I asked the minister today about the frustration surrounding rising accommodation costs and lack of real-terms pay rises for armed forces personnel. I am hugely disappointed that support for lifting the armed forces pay cap isn’t shared across the House.
Under the Conservatives our armed forces have been shrunk to a record low and personnel are leaving at an alarming rate. The hard-working men and women who serve our country are integral to our national security and it is high time the Tories set pay accordingly”.
Nia Griffith MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Defence said:
“Whilst other public sector workers have unions to speak up for them, our armed forces don’t and so we must be their voice. It is absolutely outrageous that the Tories have chosen not to even give serving personnel the respect of turning out to vote today on this motion.
The Government must show personnel that they are valued by investing in them and should allow the Armed Forces Pay Review Body to make fair recommendations on armed forces pay.”
Stephen added:
“We need to ensure that a career in the armed forces continues to be an attractive offer if we are to maintain our operational effectiveness.
Our armed forces are driven by incredibly hard-working servicemen and women and it is time the Tories showed them they are valued”.
