Govt accused of failing duties to troops

Wednesday, 15 August 2007 12:00 AM

Pressure on the Ministry of Defence is set to increase with a new campaign claiming the government is failing in its duty of care towards troops.

The Royal British Legion (RBL) is taking the unprecedented step of calling the government to account over the Military Covenant, which guarantees service personnel and their families proper care in exchange for foregoing certain rights.

RBL said it was motivated to act by a growing sense of disillusionment among both service personnel and veterans about their treatment by the state.

In a mission statement, the charity said: "The Legion believes that our servicemen and women deserve more from their government.

"By committing themselves to put their lives on the line for their country, they deserve immediate medical treatment and just compensation if they are injured."

The Broken Covenant campaign will launch formally in September, putting pressure on ministers during the busy party conference season.

It is supported by the British Armed Forces Federation, who argue the covenant is "now a dead letter".

BAFF chairman Douglas Young told the Guardian: "If the covenant is to be anything other than hot air, it needs to be at the forefront of policymakers' minds whenever defence policy is being formulated and not just trotted out when there's a good news story."

The covenant is supposed to guarantee servicemen certain privileges in recognition of the sacrifices they make.

It also acknowledges service personnel forego certain rights, including the right to strike, join a union or take part in political activities.

The MoD is already under pressure from rising casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, calls to withdrawal from Iraq and mounting disillusionment with the army.

Military families have also criticised the backlog of coroners' inquests and supposed shortages of supplies.

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• armed forces
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• defence
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• foreign policy