Antony spoke in the debate on the Armed Forces Bill reiterating his appreciation for everything the forces do as we celebrate Armed Forces Week.
The focus of his speech was on the threats we still face, the importance of getting the Covenant right as we enshrine it in law, and immigration fees for non-UK personnel, which he believes we must end.
"It is always a pleasure to speak in any debate on the armed forces, but particularly this week, as we recognise the huge contribution they make, today on Reserves Day and Saturday on Armed Forces Day. I also take this opportunity to thank the Armed Forces Parliamentary Trust. Through the scheme that it runs, I have been able to see almost every week the incredible work that our armed forces do day in, day out. They say an organisation is only as good as its people, and nowhere is that more true than in the armed forces.
Through the Bill, not only do we maintain our armed forces on paper, but it means that the hundreds of thousands of men and women who serve in the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, the British Army and the Royal Marines can continue to serve Queen and country. They are the best, the brightest and the most courageous among us. As we debate clause 1, we must consider why we need the armed forces and why they are still relevant in today’s world.
In my view, the argument is stronger than ever before. Turning first to our domestic need, in the fight against covid-19, defence has supported literally hundreds of requests from citizens, the NHS, local authorities and Government Departments. In Lancashire, we have seen that through testing, vaccine deployment, planning, logistics and so much more. They have made a huge contribution, often behind the scenes and always without fanfare.
However, this domestic demand has never come at the expense of their core activities. Only last month, we saw HMS Queen Elizabeth set sail as part of the carrier strike group—a huge tasking of personnel from all the services, not just those on board the carrier itself but on the frigates, destroyers and submarines, as well as the aircrew, that go with it. Our operations have continued around the world, in Afghanistan, in Mali, as we heard from the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Jamie Stone), and in Cyprus.
All these things are vital to the UK’s security. As we saw in the integrated review, the threats are evolving and not reducing. The Euro-Atlantic region has seen a resurgence of Russian activity. The Indo-Pacific region is becoming more strategically important. Cyber will become a domain that is involved in all our military operations. Non-state actors are getting hold of capabilities that have historically been beyond their reach.
But this Bill is not just about our serving armed forces: it looks beyond that at our veterans and at the armed forces covenant.
The Bill Select Committee, which was chaired by my excellent colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (James Sunderland), welcomed the move to enshrine the covenant into law, and I wholeheartedly agree. It will then be down to our public bodies—the NHS, local councils and more—to put it into practice. In doing that, what we must avoid is a race for everyone to claim just their little bit; through the guidance that will be put out by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, we need to work together.
If covid has shown us anything, it is that when public bodies work together—the police, councils, the NHS and housing providers—so much more can be achieved. I urge the Government, as they draft that guidance, to look at best practice, because everyone wants to do their best; no one wants to just do their little bit. The Government are in a unique position to see the picture nationally and to use that to drive equality of treatment. I turn to new clauses 1 and 7 on immigration fees, which are of particular concern to some of my constituents. Many of us in all parts of the House agree that we want to see this change.
We want our non-UK personnel to be able to reside in the UK after their service has ended. The Home Office and the MOD are actively working on this and there is a consultation that closes two weeks today. Asking that we ignore that consultation and do something today would do nothing to speed up the process but potentially delay it. This Bill is very welcome. It is vital for our security and it will make an enormous difference to our veteran community".
