Campaign calls on MoD to pay for the funerals of all veterans

A father is calling on the government to fund the funerals of military veterans.

Douglas Chapman has launched a petition urging Whitehall to fork out cash for those who served at least two years.

Mr Chapman, a former Lieutenant in the Territorial Army whose daughter lives in Gosport, is asking the Ministry of Defence to put a maximum of £5,000 towards burial costs that can be claimed by families after a loved one dies.

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He said many families with military backgrounds struggled to pay for funeral expenses, adding: ‘After serving in the armed forces for a period of time, most military veterans are forgotten about by the state, not a great deal has changed since Nelson’s time as you can still find veterans sleeping on the street.

‘This petition has been started to see if the general public agrees with me that we owe a lasting debt of gratitude to members of our armed forces past and present for their service to this country.’

The campaign needs to get 100,000 to be considered for debate in parliament – so far it has just over 30.

To join the campaign, visit petition.parliament.uk/petitions/110584

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